‘Indigenous superhero’: Cree-Métis artist creates body armour in new art exhibit

When people approach the artist-in-residence studio at Wanuskewin Heritage Park these days, it might feel like they’re approaching an armoury.

Cree-Métis artist Kevin McKenzie has been working as the artist in residence at Wanuskewin Heritage Park during the month of May, and has been diligently crafting simulated body armour pieces from molded elk rawhide, deer skin, horsehair and sinew.

“It’s a reaction to certain social circumstances that have happened in the past for decades”, McKenzie explained.

“People wearing body armour, like the RCMP, the police and military forces, wear this black body armour to sort of intimidate Indigenous people. So basically I’m creating more of a simulation, and through the simulation process I’m destroying the old object and introducing an Indigenous object”.

McKenzie’s pieces end up creating a full set of body armour, complete with horsehair embellishments. (Wanuskewin Heritage Park)

McKenzie molds the rawhide around modern protective gear. He then uses glue and clamps to hold the hide in place, so it adjusts to its new shape. The pieces end up creating a full set of body armour, complete with horsehair embellishments.

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“I was working with an elder that I worked with at Brandon University where I teach. Her name is Barb Lyne, and we were making rattles and drums, and so I was looking at the elk rawhide and I said, ‘this reminds me of a synthetic material like carbon fiber or Kevlar or things like that,’” mused McKenzie, while working in the studio.

“Then Barb said to me, she goes, ‘No, this is the high-tech material!’ So that changed the whole trajectory of my art practice.”

McKenzie not only sees the installation as a response to colonial injustice, but also the beginnings of a new generation of heroes.

“It’s inspired by like a negative sort of thing, because of the police and all that, but there’s also a real positive thing about it because this is functional art, and it’s designed for the new Indigenous superhero,” laughs McKenzie. “There’s not enough Indigenous superheroes around, and so I’m really sort of happy to introduce this exhibition, and whoever dons one of these is the superhero.”

Kevin McKenzie working in The Olivia & Greg Yuel Artist-in-Residence studio at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

McKenzie said he’ll be trying on the entire suit for the exhibition’s grand opening and doing a performance art piece. When asked if that makes him a superhero, he laughed.

“Yes,” he said. “I’ll be the first superhero!”

McKenzie is the first artist in Year 2 of the Olivia and Greg Yuel Artist-in-Residence Program at Wanuskewin. He was born in Regina, and is a member of the Cowessess First Nation on Treaty 4 territory.

According to Wanuskewin, McKenzie’s work often juxtaposes Indigenous culture with symbols drawn from popular culture and colonial inheritance.

His exhibition, called “NOT NOBLE, JUST DEADLY,” will open to the public from Friday until August 25 at Wanuskewin Heritage Park, with an opening reception to be held on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m.