By Caitlin Brezinski

PHOTOS: A boundary pushing project in First Nations’ art

Sep 19, 2014 | 12:18 PM

The Indigenous Peoples Artist Collective (IPAC)’s eighth annual Two Story Café is underway in Prince Albert.

The Two Story Café, an event which brings artists together with the community, began on Tuesday with a book launch and author talk with Chris Bose at the John M. Cuelenaere Public Library.

The Mann Art Gallery hosted a reception on Wednesday for “The National Indian Leg Wrestling League of North America,” presented by Terrance Houle, otherwise known as the “Blackfooter.” Leg wrestling, an exhibition that Houle came up with, has been touring Canada for the past year and a half.

Leg wrestling, Houle explained, is when two opponents lie down opposite of one another and have to lock their legs together to flip the other opponent over.

Houle said he developed it out of the Boy Scouts and isn’t actually aboriginal. He developed a league and a wrestling ring specifically for leg wrestling.

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“This show is developed in this sort of way in manifesting a stereotype,” Houle said.

Michel Boutin, the artistic director of IPAC, describes leg wrestling as a pop-culture phenomenon.

“The truth behind it is that it’s not authentic. Like much of what we consider aboriginal when it’s just actually just aboriginal pop culture or a romantic idea of the aboriginal stereotype. Indian leg wrestling is set up to satirize that whole process of indigenizing pop culture,” he said.

Thursday night saw the leg wrestling match between Terrance Houle and Peter Morin, the “Bannock Bruiser.”

“If I wanted to explain [leg wrestling], I would say that it is a mythology, an indigenous mythology,” Morin said.

The two wrestled at the beginning of the tour and the “Bannock Bruiser” was out for revenge.

The night started off with a comedy set from Ryan McMahon and Zombie Sex Cult Digital Assault played a digital set before the match began. McMahon later got into character to referee the match and Chris Bose took the role as a wrestling manager character, “Donny Dreamcatcher.”

“It’s a really fun, boundary pushing practice that these guys participate in,” MchMahon said.

After a few rounds of leg wrestling, complete with bannock throwing, the “Bannock Bruiser” came out victorious.

“I think this is like one of the funnest projects I’ve ever been a part of … [Terrance] makes a work which is very good at creating community,” Morin said. “It’s great and funny and everybody’s eyes get sparkly. Isn’t that what art’s supposed to do?” 

Houle said that one of the things he likes about this project is that it shows diversity within First Nations art and people. 

“This is a whole generation of artists that I respect and that I feel are coming out from a different realm of strength and power and identity,” Houle said.

The Two Story Café continues Friday and Saturday night at the Prince Albert Arts Centre.

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