A dual exhibition on display until the end of June at the Weyburn Art Gallery invites patrons to step into story, identity, and perspective.
Omentum
For those who prefer the visuals of artists like Norval Morrisseau or Pablo Picasso, the 10-painting series by John Brady McDonald entitled, ‘Omentum: A look into the Indigenous Experience of the 21st Century- Exhibition Series, 2019’ invites reflection on lived experiences, resilience and cultural reclamation.
According to the artist’s note at the exhibition, “Omentum is the lacy membrane which surrounds the stomachs and organs of a number of mammals, including humans. It is a beautiful network of fat and connective tissue that can only been seen when an animal is butchered, so in order to appreciate it, one must be in the hands-on process of transforming a once living creature into food for survival.”
John Brady McDonald is a Nehiyawak-Métis writer, artist, historian, musician, playwright, actor and activist born and raised in Prince Albert. He is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak.
His ‘Omentum’ series touches on several of the major experiences faced by Indigenous people in this country within recent memory.
“These paintings […] speak of some of the major struggles and triumphs that are part of our everyday life as Indigenous people, such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Cultural Appropriation, the legacy of Residential Schools, the Rise and Honour of the Two-Spirited in the LGBTQ, the Return of Traditional Indigenous Tattooing, the Rise in Systemic Racism Online, and, of course, the Murder of Colten Boushie.”
He said the idea for the series originated during an artist’s studio visit with acclaimed Tahltan artist Peter Morin in 2018, who encouraged him to ‘flesh out’ his original idea into a series of paintings.
“What makes these paintings truly unique is that each one has been personally named, not by myself, but by an influential Indigenous or Métis artist, activist, or leader, such as Isaac Murdoch, Rosanna Deerchild, the members of PIQSIQ, the mother of Colten Boushie, a co-founder of Idle No More, and Dr. Evan Adams, (who played Thomas in the film Smoke Signals). Each of these individuals, who are at the forefront of the issues for which these paintings were created, graciously donated a name which they personally felt best suited the narrative of the painting.”
A historical perspective
Alongside ‘Omentum’, selections by Indigenous artists from the City of Weyburn’s Permanent Collection deepen the conversation, weaving together identity, place and memory through Indigenous works.
The inclusion of Indigenous pieces reflecting identity, story, and place helps create a meaningful dialogue between the works on display
The artists featured from the Permanent Collection are Michael Lonechild, Ken Lonechild, and Mike Keepness.
Storytelling
Michael Lonechild is a self-taught, Cree painter from the White Bear First Nation. His works are recognized for their vivid, narrative-rich portrayal of both traditional and contemporary Cree life, appearing in major public and private collections across North America. Lonechild was a recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2024.
He lives and works between Saskatchewan and Alberta, actively mentoring Indigenous youth through initiatives such as the Treaty Four Education Alliance, emphasizing painting as a means of cultural preservation, storytelling, and personal healing.
A legacy of art
Ken Lonechild (1960-2017) was a Cree painter from the White Bear First Nation in Saskatchewan, and was also a self-taught artist, remembered for acrylic paintings that evoke the rhythms of reserve life and reflect deeply personal memories of childhood. His work forms an important part of a multi-generational family legacy of Indigenous art in Canada. His paintings are narrative and reflective, often centered on a young boy observing daily activities- serving as a proxy for the artist’s own childhood perspective. His work emphasizes memory, kinship, and continuity, focusing on hunting, fishing, visiting neighbors, and shared labour.
Ken Lonechild’s work was exhibited and sold through regional and national venues, including galleries and auctions associated with the Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting. His paintings remain sought after for their honest, intimate depictions of reserve life and for their role in preserving Indigenous memory through contemporary realism.
Marking experience through paint
Mike Keepness (1981-2021) was a Saulteaux/Plains Cree painter whose works are deeply rooted in the prairie landscapes of southern Saskatchewan. Raised in the Qu’Appelle Valley, he developed a profound connection to land that became central to both the subject matter and philosophy of his artistic practice.
He worked extensively en plein air, embracing the immediacy and unpredictability of painting outdoors. Direct engagement with shifting weather, light, and seasonal change allowed him to develop a strong foundation in colour, atmosphere, and movement. These outdoor studies informed larger studio works, where observation, memory, and photography were synthesized into expressive landscape compositions.
His practice can be understood in relation to Indigenous traditions of marking experience through paint. Where earlier generations expressed identity through the body or regalia, Keepness translated this impulse onto the land itself, documenting places of cultural and historical importance, preserving the essence of place while acknowledging its constant movement through time, contributing a deeply Indigenous perspective to contemporary landscape painting.
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