Artist in Residence: Dayna Danger
The Department of Art History and Communication Studies and Mellon Indigenous Studies and Community Engagement Initiative (ISCEI) welcome artist Dayna Danger as the second Indigenous Artist in Residence at McGill.
Dayna Danger is a 2Spirit/Queer, Métis/Saulteaux/Polish visual artist raised in Miiskwaagamiwiziibiing, Treaty 1 territory, or so-called Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently based in Tiohtiá:ke/Mōniyāng, or so-called Montreal, Quebec.
Danger uses photography, sculpture, performance, beading and video to create works and environments that claim space and question the line between empowerment and objectification. Their recent work with beaded leather fetish masks, BDSM and kink, explores themes of intimacy, erotic sovereignty, and Indigenous sexuality. Collaboration and consent are at the heart of Danger’s art practice which challenges the colonial gaze and negotiates the complicated dynamics of sexuality, gender, and power.
Danger holds a BFA from The University of Manitoba’s School of Art and an MFA in Photography from Concordia University. Their work has been exhibited in Santa Fe, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Peterborough, North Bay, Vancouver, Edmonton and Banff. Their ongoing photographic portrait series Big’Uns was featured on the cover of the Canadian Art Kinship issue in summer 2017. Most recently, Danger’s art was exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada and long-listed for the 2021 Sobey Art Award. Danger has participated in residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts and at Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art. In 2021, they began a doctorate at Concordia University that focuses on hide-tanning stories and bush skills, passed on from their Saulteaux great-grandmother Madeline McLeod (Campbell).
You can see more of Dayna Danger's work on their website.
The Mellon ISCEI Artist in Residence program is an important means of bringing practicing artists to campus to continue their work, share their expertise, interact with students and faculty members, and enhance knowledge of and exposure to Indigenous art among the campus community and the public at large. The annual Artist in Residence will be co-organized with the Department of Art History & Communication Studies and will be involved in a variety of on-campus activities such as workshops and public exhibitions, and will be available as a resource to students, faculty, and staff.
You can learn more about ISCEI and the Artist in Residence program here: https://www.mcgill.ca/iscei/our-intiatives/artist-residence