Calgary photographer channels reconciliation
The first time Calgary photographer Joey Podlubny went to photograph the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation, he was held at gunpoint.
On his way into the reserve, Podlubny picked up a hitchhiker who later pulled out a 9mm after saying “take a picture of this.”
“It would have been a fantastic photo,” said Podlubny who has, now, been going back to the same reserve for more than a decade.
As tense as his first encounter was, it was the beginning of a lifechanging relationship between himself and Chief Vern Janvier — the subject of a photograph chosen for the Winnipeg-based Canadian Museum for Human Rights exhibit Points of View.
Podlubny’s photograph is a finalist for the subject of reconciliation, which is one of the themes. The others are diversity and inclusion, the environment and freedom.
“Reconciliation is a complicated topic and what we know about each other is very limited,” said Podlubny.
“Chief Vern showed me his ways and let me into his community. We practised reconciliation together by allowing each other to learn from one another.”
One of the most important lessons Podlubny said he has learned is to “let it go.”
“You have to get rid of all of your limiting beliefs to understand what is in front of you,” said Podlubny.
“Letting go of my past beliefs, letting go of my ego, letting go of what I think something means or should be.”
“One elder told me ‘I’ll forgive anyone for standing on my toes when they get off my toes’ and that’s the whole point. We have to take a step back and look at what we have been doing as a country for the last 140 years of the Indian Act. What’s been our intention? Reconciliation is coming to terms with that.”
Podlubny said a nation-to-nation conversation can only take place if people are willing to “show up.” He has visited reserves across Canada for various assignments and continues to visit Chief Vern monthly.
He said one of the hardest things to do was build trust as a white man.
He slowly gained that trust by creating friendships and through experiences.
“Do what you say, and speak the truth. Listen with both ears and an open mind. Wear your heart on your sleeve, be quick to help, be humble, be natural,” said Podlubny.
He took the picture of Chief Vern in 2013. The striking photo was one of the 70 selected from almost 1,000 submissions.
“Narrowing down the submissions was definitely a challenge, but Joey’s was one of those that kind of struck us immediately,” said curator Jeremy Maron.
Podlubny said he is honoured to be part of the conversation surrounding reconciliation, what Maron refers to as the most critical human rights challenge in Canada right now.
The exhibit opens June 23 and runs until Feb. 4, 2018.