kiyânaw, the name of the latest solo exhibition of Montreal artist Bea Parsons, translates to “us” in nêhiyawēwin/Cree, in a way that embraces “all of us,” her gallery says.
Works in the show at Montreal’s McBride Contemporain center on togetherness and themes of “interconnected acts of global Indigenous solidarities.”
Parsons’ expressive drawings depict figures linking arms, tracing connections between earth and sky. Ribbons weave through the compositions, while circular motifs and curving grids convey a balance of rootedness and motion, forming a personal lexicon of remembrance and cultural resurgence. Informed by her experiences as an educator, student, and knowledge mobilizer, these works draw on collective acts of uprising and ceremony that challenge colonial histories while affirming community strength.
The exhibit (installation view above) features colour pencil drawings, floor-to-ceiling wooden block towers, and a large-scale floor installation, expanding her practice beyond the two-dimensional form.
Bea Parsons (b.1981, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a printmaker and drawer based in Tiohtià:ke Montreal. She earned a BFA in Art Education (2008) and a BFA in Painting and Drawing (2010) from Concordia University, as well as an MFA in Visual Art from Columbia University (2012). She is a current full time professor at Concordia University, Montreal.
Parsons has previously taught at The University of Texas, Austin and The University of California, Davis. She has had a number of solo exhibitions, namely at Franz Kaka in Toronto and Tappeto Volante in New York City. Her works have been acquired by the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Musée d’art de Joliette, Hydro-Québec, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Royal Bank of Canada, Caisse Desjardins, Scotiabank and Equitable Bank.
Exhibition site, here.
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