Lois Ogemah  

"... As an Artist-Shaman, my sense of duty is to heal my community through the gifts I've been given. In practice, I employ my creativity to gather information around me and convert that information into, or onto a medium that the viewer may observe and vicariously "feel". Hence, the only way to convert intellectual knowledge into wisdom, is through some form of action or insight... In this respect, I would be honored to have you witness my Vision."
 
   


Louis was born July 8, 1962 in the town of Sioux Lookout, Ontario. Louis is an Anishinaabe of the Ojibway's of Lac Seul First Nation, Ontario. He attended the Cecilia Jeffery Residential School in Kenora, Ontario in the late sixties and early seventies.

Louis graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons. Degree) from the University of Manitoba. Louis works in a variety of mediums which includes painting, photography and theatre. In addition, Louis has been documenting on video the process of the exhibition with interviews from his family regarding their reflection of their experiences, in which he hopes will expand on the discourse of this subject.

Contemporary artist Louis Ogemah, gathers old and new photograph images of four generations of the Ogemah/Williams family and pictorially depicts the relationship each generation had with the residential school system.

From rustic settings to urban living, Louis' work explores the myriad of Anishinaabe beliefs and mysticism and couples it with contemporary thought to bring new depth to his work.


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Manido Giizis (Buffalo)
Oil on canvas - 108cm x 144cm

Manido Giizis, is about a sundancer fulfilling his commitment to the Great Mystery, and his self-sacrifice to his Manidouk (Spirit Guide), the Great Bison. In the personal realm one must bring about the empowerment of self through the individual oneself to the Creative Force that surrounds us. The painting technique encapsulates on the ochres and earth tone colors and invokes the mystic to come through.


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Piitiwewe Nodin (Red & Blue)
Acrylic on canvas - 120cm x 114cm

A self-portrait of my inner being is embodied within this work. My anishinsabe name is Kiizhe Anaquot, meaning Fast Cloud. There are two levels, the first level is the blue sky which is my connection to the spirits of the sky world, from my name sake, and the physical skyline of a city on the prairies. The second level, describes several layers of my inner psyche. On the one side a visionary, with the arrow head neck piece drawn in pencil and on the other side is a scaffold with the spirit of an ancestor on birch bark rising up into the spirit world, translating into my commitment to my people who have passed on.


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Ziisabaquot
Oil on canvas - 2' x 2'10'

Ziisabaquot means 'sugar' in Anishinaabe and refers to the spirit of a lost child. The shield is a personal shield that carries the medicine pouch and eagle feathers in respecting the spirit of the child that has gone to the spirit world.


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