Maroon Town is an immersive exhibition by Kjipuktuk (Halifax)-based artist Tyshan Wright. Following their forced exile after the Second Maroon War with the British, Jamaican Maroons were exiled to Mi’kma’ki and the British colony of Nova Scotia in 1796. Despite sustained resistance and protest, the majority of Maroons departed Nova Scotia centuries ago, however, many Maroon descendants still live in this province where the legacy of Maroon culture endures. In this exhibition, Tyshan Wright creates a staged Maroon house and settlement that includes expertly handcrafted iterations of the ceremonial and everyday domestic objects that Maroons were forced to leave behind in Jamaica, as well as those they use today. This staged settlement imagines Jamaican Maroons and Maroon life thriving across time and place. Maroon Town celebrates historic Maroon resilience and present-day acts of sovereignty that build a vibrant and connected tomorrow for Maroon descendants.
- This exhibition has passed.
Tyshan Wright: Maroon Town
About the Curator
Julie Hollenbach is a queer, white-settler artist, curator, and cultural historian teaching craft histories and material cultures on unceded Mi’kmaq territory at NSCAD University.
About the Artist
Kjipuktuk (Halifax)-based artist Tyshan Wright works at the intersection of contemporary art and traditional Jamaican Maroon culture and craft. A descendant of Africans who evaded enslavement and created their own self-sustaining communities in the mountains of Jamaica in the 1600s, his work unites present with past narratives of Maroon experience in diaspora.
Exhibition Reception
Wednesday, October 25 at 6:00-8:00pm
The exhibition reception will be a celebratory community event that centers a durational performance by the artist, and will also feature live music and refreshments. Please contact art.gallery@msvu.ca by October 18 with any access needs, requests or inquiries.
Artist Talk
Wednesday, November 8 at 2:00-3:30pm
All are invited to join artist Tyshan Wright for an informal presentation about his work on view in the exhibition Maroon Town. Please contact art.gallery@msvu.ca by November 1 with any access needs, requests or inquiries.
Performances
Wednesday, September 27 at 9:30am–11:30am
Wednesday, October 4 at 11:00am–1:00pm
Thursday, October 12 at 6:00pm–8:00pm
Over the course of the Maroon Town exhibition, Tyshan Wright will be enacting durational performances in the Gallery, creating a Maroon home using an adapted wattle and daub building technology. Members of the MSVU campus community and the public are invited to visit the gallery and witness the performance-creation.
All events and programs are free. Please visit the Plan Your Visit and Accessisbility pages for more access, location and venue information.
