Ela pouch highlights great Canadian art
The first time I saw Christi Belcourt’s extraordinary painting, The Wisdom of the Universe, at the Art Gallery of Ontario, I nearly cried. Encyclopedic in scope and yet so meticulously painted, as if each acrylic dot were a stitch of traditional beadwork, and the canvas were a Light-Brite screen, with every leaf and flower seemingly lit from within, the Scarborough-born, Métis artist behind the work has been on my radar.
Imagine my surprise and delight then, to have discovered that it’s possible to have a little piece of Belcourt that I get to carry along with me, like a sort of talisman — and for the sum total of $50 — $10 of which goes to a Northern Ontariobased community arts group founded by Belcourt called the Onaman Collective, which she describes as “a community arts group dedicated to the resurgence of Indigenous ways of being and knowing.”
As a collector, it turns out I am in rather fine company. Along with hanging with the Impressionists at the AGO, Belcourt’s work can now be found in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization and up on Parliament Hill. While the artist herself, who is also the lead co-ordinator for a community-based project that honours missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls called Walking with our Sisters, was named the Aboriginal Arts Laureate by the Ontario Arts Council in 2015, and last year’s winner of the Governor General’s Innovation Award.
Art, activism, fashion — it’s rather a lot to stuff into one’s handbag, but that is quite literally what the designers Ela and Martin Aldorsson have done with their limited-edition collection of ela x Christi Belcourt handbags for Holt Renfrew’s commendably socially responsible ‘H’ project. Both the mini MILCK clutch ($75), which has a foldedover buckle front typical of the Ela brand, and the smaller, zip-top Editor’s pouch, (the simplicity of which I rather prefer) feature a rich section from Belcourt’s artwork — quite fittingly reproduced on canvas.
There is something in the tired expression “wearable art” that seems inadequate to describe the effect of carrying this piece as an accessory, which by the way, also happens to punch up almost everything else in your wardrobe.
And yet as a piece of great Canadian art that you get to wear, it does offer the bold visual reminder in this year of Canada 150 that so very often, and in every culture around the globe, the roots of pattern and ornament in every art form stem from Indigenous interpretations inspired by nature.
As Belcourt writes in her artist’s statement: “Everything that drives me, and drives my art . . . is my love for the earth and my awe of it all. How is it possible we are even alive? The great power and mystery surrounds us every minute of every day. Everything — the plants, insects, winds, stars, rocks, animals, us — is a giant web of pure spirit. Nothing is separate from anything else. The spirit world surrounds us at all moments and is present in all things. If it’s possible we live in a planet surrounded by stars, then nothing is impossible.” Karen von Hahn is a Toronto-based writer, trend observer and style commentator. Her new book, What Remains: Object Lessons in Love and Loss is published by the House of Anansi Press. Contact her at kvh@karenvonhahn.com.