Great Bear Money Rock is part of a larger research project being conducted by Tsēmā and Erin Siddall exploring their shared interest in transmuting traumas of colonial extraction. In 2019, Tsēmā and Erin went to Délįnę in Sahtu Dene Territories to seek passage to Port Radium, an abandoned uranium mine on the other side of Great Bear Lake (the eighth largest freshwater reserve in the world). Led by their Dene guides, they traveled 265 kilometers by boat to the mine where they gathered materials and audiovisual elements that laid the groundwork for their response. The journey was pivotal for both artists, not only in the work to follow but in their spiritual connection to the power of the land and lake.
Co-commissioned by Momenta Biennale de l’image and the Toronto Biennial of Art. Made possible with generous support from Galerie de l’UQAM, the Women Leading Initiative and Age of Union Alliance.
The artists would like to thank all who helped make this project a reality, including the Dene guides, glass artist Ariel Hill, and Sean Arden. Documentation of the Toronto Biennial of Art by Toni Hafkenscheid and Rebecca Tisdelle-Macias