the lands refusal
Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet & Julia Rose Sutherland
October 29- December 7, 2024
Julia Rose Sutherland and Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet come together in Union Gallery’s Main Space to present the lands refusal, an exhibition which borrows its name from the words of L.H. Stallings: “The land’s refusal to be separated from flesh.” Julia Rose, an artist of Mi’kmaq (Metepenagiag Nation) and settler descent, shares works of handmade paper and beaded hide, holding grief and kinship on and with the land. Kiona, an artist of Cree and Métis (descending from Michel Band) as well as Dutch and mixed European ancestry, shares paintings and a photo-based installation, honouring her moshom’s land and the stories it holds.
KIONA CALLIHOO LIGTVOET
the lands refusal shares mundane and loving moments on the quarter section of land my moshom received after the enfranchisement of Michel Band. Michel Band was enfranchised in entirety in 1958, and experienced total loss of reserve lands. The works in this exhibition gently acknowledge the way I know my home.
My moshom was born up the hill from here in his parents’ cabin, on what was still Michel reserve land at the time. He built a house across the dirt road, where my mom was raised, and it’s where I would also grow up. This has been home to many relatives through their childhoods, and a soft landing to return to as they grew.
The land has seen good farm dogs, two rapidly growing cities in the distance, cold Winters, dry Summers, and berry blooms through Spring, Summer, and Fall. Despite growing changes, land loss, grief, and disruptions, medicines continue to grow, seed, and come back; horseback rides up hills have become namesakes, and stories have been kept.
My works in the lands refusal honour those memories, knowing that I’ll never be alone in the markers that make up the stories shared.
JULIA ROSE SUTHERLAND
This exhibition is rooted in my experiences during my artist residency at Headlands Center for the Arts, where I spent time with the land and reflected on my approach to placemaking. Inspired by L.H. Stallings’ words, "The land’s refusal to be separated from flesh," my work examines the connection between Indigenous and Black bodies and the land.
The series includes handmade paper, drawings, prose, and beadwork, reflecting the importance of knowing, sharing moments, and building reciprocal yet complex relationships with the land. This work builds on my previous interactive installation, "Gepmite'tg," which featured over 300 sheets of paper. In that installation, participants used sage ash to reveal the embossed names of Indigenous women lost to violence. By blending and reconstituting this marked paper, I created newly formed sheets as a symbol of collective grief, solidarity, and kinship of the communities impacted by the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirited individuals (MMIWG2S+).
For years, I have kept these names close, unable to part with them, and have chosen to recontextualize them into new handmade paper. In this work, I invite viewers to engage with themes of collective grief and loss while nurturing solidarity and kinship with the land. Each sheet is imbued with the memory of these women—our ancestors.
The handmade paper reflects ancestral connections, while the beaded hide work reflects shared sacred laughter and collective moments of deep breathing that enrich our communities. It embodies our craving for connection, the desire to be held and to hold the land, to be "dirt eaters," and to return to the land.





