Thursday, March 26th
New works by Allan Wesaquate – Opening Reception
The Exchange • Club Side • 8 Track Gallery • 2431 8th ave.
Reception starts at 7:00pm
Showing from March 26th to June 26th 2026
This event is free to attend
Artist Statement:
Hello
my name is Allan Wesaquate, I am originally from the Piapot First
Nation, 30 minutes north of Regina. I began painting and playing music
when I was 3. I lived on a farm, I was the oldest child. The only boy
because I had no playmates I would spend entire days drawing or playing
cigar box guitars. We moved to Regina about 1969, my first city school
was St. Michaels, then Victoria school, Regent Park school, and St
Thomas school. I attend Balfour High School where I studied art under
Mr. Wilkinson and Henry Ripplinger. I transferred to Scott collegiate
where I studied under Miss Lowe. The majority of my art training came
from Regina high schools. Throughout my life my freindships were with
art or music students. While in high school I met Miles Moneo, a
musician who introduced me to experimental music by artists like Frank
Zappa, Captain Beefheart and Brian Eno. In 1979 the Punk rock/ New wave
movement was beginning my friends and I attended concerts by: Elvis
Costello, XTC, The Police, Teenage Head, The Extroverts, Pointed Sticks,
D.O.A., Los Popularos, The Young Canadians, U.K. Subs, The Clash and
other non-commercial bands.
I was always drawing and doodling. In
grade 11 graphic art class I created a Teenage Head t-shirt at a show
at the University of Regina. Teenage Head confronted me and ordered me
to stop. In university, I was a film and video student studying under
Mr. Marner. My art classes were under Bob Boyer. For a time I worked in
television as videotape operator at SCTV. Then as a camera operator and
floor director for QCTV in Edmonton, Alberta. I also worked as an
advertising salesman for Alberta Native News. When I moved to Vancouver I
worked for Western Native News and Kahtou. I became interested in
spoken word poetry and would read La Quena. I joined the Carnegie center
writers group where I was a member for 8 years. In 1993, I met
Czechoslovakian actress Barbara Plichtova. Barbara was a pioneer in
synthetic theatre later to be renamed performance art.At the time I
worked for Eatons in the photography studio. My relationship with
Barbara lasted about a year.
In 1994, I exhibited for the first
time at the Native Indian and Inuit Photographers gallery in Hamilton
Ontario. My roommate Peter Shener brought one of his friends to our
apartment, Eddie Nelson, he had recently moved to Vancouver. Eddie fell
in love with my art and called American Indian Community House to tell
them about me. I did 2 tours of America with American Indian Community
House. I began exhibiting in America at the Two Rivers Gallery in
Minneapolis, Minnesota and The Sacred Circle Gallery in Seattle
Washington. I lived in America for a while living in Durango Colorado.
While in Durango I did an exhibit at Fort Lewis College.
In 1995, I
met Norval Morriseau we became friends and I would visit him at his
home in White Rock BC. Norval encouraged me to return to painting. I
paint in a variety of styles mixed media, traditional Native Indian and
Abstract. I am proud of my ability to be prolific I have painted 2
thousand paintings. I can paint as many as 26 paintings a day each
entirely different.
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About the Exchange
The Exchange is wheelchair accessible and offers 2 non-gender/wheelchair-accessible washrooms.
The
Exchange is an all-ages venue that supports the Safer Spaces
Initiative. We do not tolerate any form of harassment, abusive and/or
discriminative behaviour. Such behaviour is grounds for immediate
removal from the event/venue. If you are experiencing any harassment,
please ask to speak to a manager.
Ticket price plus taxes and fees – lineups subject to change – no refunds or exchanges
