Alternative Paths: Mapping Addiction in Contemporary Art by Landon Mackenzie, Rebecca Belmore, Manasie Akpaliapik, and Ron Noganosh

Abstract

Building upon the concept of meeting places, this essay considers intersections between land, place, space, colonialism, art, and addiction in the contemporary Canadian context. Examining the work of several artists, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, the author employs the land-based metaphor of alternative paths to demonstrate how these artists have produced artworks that transcend and resist outgoing negative stereotypes related to addiction and Indigenous individuals. Artistic strategies chosen by the artists include tracing the oral histories of an Indigenous woman onto a map (Landon Mackenzie), occupying place and space with the artist’s own body (Rebecca Belmore), using materials from the land to evoke a head-splitting hangover (Manasie Akpaliapik), and employing irony in order to reveal that both alcohol and humour can function as survival strategies for Indigenous peoples (Ron Noganosh). Ultimately, the essay is intended to destabilize and dislodge stereotypical images of addicted (or ostensibly addicted) individuals in Canada. Furthermore, the fact that recovery from addiction does and will continue to occur in Indigenous communities is inextricably linked with the concepts of empowerment, well-being, and self-determination for Indigenous peoples.