Naghmeh Dadgostar
Faces of Intergenerational Trauma
Faces of Intergenerational Trauma by Naghmeh Dadgostar is installed in the far east hallway of the East Wing on the Algoma University Main Campus. Faces of Intergenerational Trauma is Dadgostar’s solo thesis exhibition presentation for the Algoma University Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.
My name is Naghmeh Dadgostar, I was born 1968 in the city of Shiraz, Fars Province in Iran. Since 2012 I have been involved with the VISA program at Algoma University as a mature student. My artworks include mark making with ink, sketching and drawings with pastel and charcoal, acrylic canvas paintings, photography, creating paper sculptures, earth works, creating video and soundscapes; hence I have worked with many kinds of media to create my artworks. Skills to create art via multi-media portals has provided me with the ability to have a holistic outlook, helped me better express the ideas behind my art, and enabled me to understand and process my own human experiences, thus contributing to my spiritual growth.
Living in Northern Ontario, which is saturated with Indigenous and colonial history, has greatly impacted my perspectives about Canadian social justice issues regarding acculturation and assimilation. As a mental health counsellor my artistic expressions become saturated with psychological undertones that addresses the adversities imposed by the government contributing to the demise of Indigenous culture and illness in First Nations people. Threats to Indigenous People’s cultural, economic, and social rights is a subject I would like to bring to light where these issues receive significantly less public attention. There is little recognition how , cultural genocide, land loss, oppression, ongoing racism, and poverty have contributed to physical and psychological illnesses.
Today particularly, Indigenous communities struggle with substance use and suicide; hence they sadly continue to be stigmatized and oppressed further. The traditional concept of the Medicine Wheel (spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental aspects of life equally integrated) are used in my artwork because of its holistic healing properties. Colour combinations on each clay plate represent the colours of the Indigenous Medicine Wheel in which white represents North, yellow represents East, black represents West, and red represents South. The reverse side of each clay plate is painted orange to represent the “Every Child Matters” movement. This decision was made as a response to the recent discoveries in 2021 of 215 skeletal remains of children at the Kamloops residential school in BC.
Understanding the concept of intersectionality enabled me to take an analytical view about the Indigenous social and political identities and how they have mixed to promote discrimination whether systemic or in the shape of microaggressions. It is fundamentally important to understand that trauma can manifest itself physically and psychologically in subsequent generations. Epigenetic plasticity can reset when the environmental insults are no longer present, or when we have changed sufficiently to address environmental challenges in a new way. Indigenous peoples are holistic in their healing, and that art, as healing, is a form of aesthetic and spiritual connection they have with the land and with their communities. Observing and studying works of Indigenous artists such as Audie Murray, Olivia Whetung, Nadia Myre, and Rebecca Belmore, has greatly inspired me to create this sculptural work I call: “Faces of Intergenerational Trauma”. I want to give a voice to these faceless innocent children and be able to memorialise their anonymousness. Their voiceless echoes will always reflect endlessly; their unique stories are never lost.
Many people contributed their time, wisdom, guidance and assistance to my project. I would like to thank:
The Children of Shingwak Association for their kind guidance and permission to install the artwork.
Algoma University Physical Department for helping with securing the artwork to the wall
My thesis advisor Cheryl Deneault Anishinaabe elder provided her generous guidance and knowledge throughout the development of my project.
Mr. Blair Belleau from Belleau Lumber Products donated the cedar wood and constructed the boxes
Arty the dog at Belleau Lumber Products donated his undivided love
Dennis Duguay from Employee Glass cut the mirrors and installed them
Sean Hunter, Lanny McCabe, and Clayton Turcotte from True North Custom Homes helped with the wood construction
Many thanks to the Indigenous people of the Garden River community who effortlessly supported me in this endeavour including my manager Jessica Grawbarger from Garden River Health Centre.
