Pjila'si (Welcome) by Jordan Bennett is one of many public artworks installed across the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Jordan Bennett, 2019
Oak, walnut, maple, Labradorite, steel, acrylic paint, ash, plexiglass, 3M reflective print on Aluminum panels
Zatzman Sportsplex
About the artwork
Jordan Bennett's ongoing practice utilizes painting, sculpture, video, installation and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting, familial histories and challenging colonial perceptions of indigenous histories, stereotypes and presence with a focus on exploring Mi’kmaq and Beothuk visual culture. Jordan Bennett is a Mi’kmaw visual artist from Stephenville Crossing, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland).
This public art piece titled Pjila’si (Welcome), incorporates various materials, traditional Mi’kmaq motifs and colour to create an artwork that explores the various histories, traditions and contributions to sport in Mi’kma'ki such as the canoe, hockey, basketball and more. The piece speaks to growth, health, community, culture, family, inclusivity and respect.
Bennett's paintings are rooted in a deep history of porcupine quillwork, which is rich in pattern through shape, colour and composition. This artwork has made use of aluminium, oak, walnut, ash and maple wood, 3M road sign sheeting, and locally sourced labradorite, and aims to inspire those who visit to feel welcomed, supported and encouraged while engaging in their active and healthy lives inside these walls and continue while outside on the land.
About the artist
Jordan Bennett is L’nu (Mi’kmaq), from Stephenville Crossing, Newfoundland (Ktaqmkuk). He currently works and lives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). Having a methodology that is deeply guided by the Land of his ancestors, his ongoing work possesses qualities of familiarity that can serve as a connection for a wide range of audiences spanning culture and generation. His work, though not always directly challenging colonial perceptions of Indigenous histories and presence, lends itself to discussions regarding contemporary Indigenous realities within urban and rural communities. His ongoing practice utilizes sculpture, painting, video, immersive installations, and sound to explore land, language, the act of visiting and his familial histories. Bennett currently holds the position of Associate Professor, Expanded Media at NSCAD University. He received his BFA from Memorial University (Grenfell Campus) 2008, and an MFA from the University of British Columbia Okangan, 2016. Since 2008 he has exhibited extensively nationally and internationally in over 100 group and solo shows as well as created multiple public art commissions throughout Canada. Jordan continues to explore, collaborate, share, and mentor within hispractice as these have become the pillars of his artistic and community-based work. Bennett has been the recipient of several awards and honours, most notably shortlisted for the 2018 Sobey Art Award; a Long list winner of the 2020 Sobey Art Award, the 2020 winner of the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Masterworks Arts Award for his 100-foot installation “Tepkik”; represented Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2015 Venice Biennale’s collateral events and was named the 2014 Newfoundland and Labrador Art’s Council’s Artist of the Year