Great Ocean Dialogues

The Great Ocean is defined as a relational space by many Indigenous Nations. In Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim, “shḵwen̓: shéwalh tl’a swá7am-chet” means “to cross a big ocean, the roads of our Ancestors.” In hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the ocean is referred to as “sʔəƛ̓qəl̕əc,” or “outside waters.” In te reo Māori, “Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa” is “the Great Ocean of Kiwa,” and in yakʔitʔɨnɨsmu tiłhinkʔtitʸu, “łpasini” translates to “the one ocean.”

Orienting ourselves toward the open waters, Great Ocean Dialogues begins from a generative refusal of the idea that the Pacific is a vacant space peripheral to imperialistic power and flows of capital. This event positions the Great Ocean as both a return to and a reimagining of our ancestral and current connections across cultural and geographic contexts. How can this concept contribute to shaping Indigenous contemporary art transnationally and from Indigenous perspectives? How can we create and sustain networks of support across the ocean? Where do our practices, knowledges and struggles for sovereignty align, and where do they diverge? And how do we honour our differences when seeking connection? This two-day gathering will feature conversations between local First Nations artists and knowledge keepers alongside international and Vancouver-based guests in order to explore these questions.

Great Ocean Dialogues is an Indigenous-led gathering produced in partnership between the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective / Collectif des commissaires autochtones, SFU Galleries and the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Great Ocean Dialogues will take place over 3 sessions. Each session requires registration. ​Registration will open on August 28. Please see below for the schedule of events. A full list of participants is to be announced.

Session 2 Tickets: Free. Registration Required.

All 3 Sessions + Transits and Returns Opening Reception: $15 for Members | $30 for General Admission. Registration Required.

A Note on Welcoming:
Please note that local First Nations will be granted free admission to these events. If cost is a barrier to you, please contact us by phone at 604-662-4700 or by email at customerservice@vanartgallery.bc.ca.

Find out more about Session 1 »     Find out more about Session 3 »

Schedule of Events

7–8:30 PM: Panel Discussion
Speaking and Relating Across the Great Ocean 
Panelists: Micki Davis, Charlene George (Kwi Awt Stelmexw), Anchi Lin, Henry Tsang, T’uy’t’anat-Cease Wyss. Moderated by Lana Lopesi.

In 2001, Teresia Teaiwa asked, “Where is the edge in the Pacific? Is it on a beach—à la Greg Dening? (1988). Is it on the horizon as Joakim Peter suggests? (2001). Is it on Vince Diaz’s tectonic plates? (1996).” In the end, she contends that, “The ocean has the edge.”^[1]

This keynote panel discussion will focus on the Great Ocean and the artistic and cultural connections which exist between its edges. The session will weave together stories of exchange, collaboration and learning that bring us together across distance and difference.

[1] Teresa Teaiwa, L(o)osing the Edge, page 345. From The Contemporary Pacific, Volume 13, Number 2, Fall 2001, 343–357 © 2001 by University of Hawai‘i Press