Natural Movement by Dee Barsy, screen printed by MSS technician Ali James.
Get your ticket for our Studio Editions Raffle, open until January 2, 2021 (or until supplies last)! Each $20 ticket is a one in 250 chance to win a limited edition screen print from Dee Barsy’s new Studio Edition, Natural Movement, printed by Martha Street Studio technician Ali James and framed by Robert Taite. Contact us to purchase your ticket or check out our Webstore. This Raffle is open to Manitoba residents only.
Natural Movement will be on view at Parlour Coffee, 468 Main St., throughout November and December 2020.
Dee Barsy is a painter based in Winnipeg, MB. In 2013, she graduated with a B.F.A. from the University of Manitoba. In 2017, Dee created a commissioned painting for the INSURGENCE/RESURGENCE exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. The exhibition featured the work of 29 emerging to established contemporary Indigenous artists from across Canada. In her painting, Dee reflected on her experience as a First Nations person adopted into an interracial family. In doing so, she acknowledged the diverse familial relationships in her life.
In her recent art practice, Dee reflects on the various physical movements she performs during physical activity. She is interested in the kinaesthetic, auditory, and visual experience of physical movement with a focus on body awareness in various environments. In her paintings, Dee represents these ideas by creating complex relationships between colour and shape. Her paintings are inclusive and open-ended with many visual entry points. As a broad theme, Dee is interested in the relationship between mental health and physical exercise.
Artist Statement:
This screen print is a reimagining of Dee’s acrylic painting, Natural Movement. The original painting is on a sculptural, equilateral, square-shaped wood panel with a smaller equilateral square cut out of it. The painting Natural Movement was created in collaboration with the 2018 edition of send+receive: a festival of sound and shown right here at Parlour Coffee.
For her inspiration, Dee reflected on the sounds associated with her runs through one of her favourite Winnipeg locations, FortWhyte Alive. For instance, Dee visually represented the sound of her breath changing as her effort increased or decreased through elevation variation. She also painted the sounds of each foot making contact with the ground in a repeating pattern.
This version of Natural Movement is a collaborative work with Ali James (Studio Technician) from Martha Street Studio. To reimagine Dee’s painting in the language of screen printing, Ali created meticulous mixtures of ink and experimented with different screen printing techniques to achieve a near-perfect translation.
Learn more about Dee Barsy:
Check out this article and video where Dee speaks about her concept and artistic process.
Read a review by Adrienne Huard of Dee’s 2019 solo exhibition These Tiny Helpers / Agaashiiwi-wiiji’iweg / Ókik ká yá apisísisicik owícihiwéwak at Urban Shaman Contemporary Aboriginal Art Gallery.
Listen to Jaimie Isaac talk about Dee’s Imagined Lines of Movement and Spaces of Rest Along Colony Creek mural for the 2020 Wall-to-Wall Mural Festival.