Uploaded February 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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Ruth Cuthand is a 2020 winner of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Kyle Armstrong.
Production of the Canada Council for the Arts. Presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm’s-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) “to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.”
For more information, visit ggarts.ca
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Transcript:
In my work, I speak as an Indigenous woman.
I grew up in a family where my father was, as they would say, he was ‘learned.’ He would make sure that we were informed, that we knew what was going on.
And so, once you’re aware of what’s going on in the world then you become aware of what [are] inequities.
With this series of MRIs, I’m trying to give a visual representation to mental illness.
This is an MRI image of a brain that is having a schizophrenic episode. So, as you can see, most of the brain is lit up in bright colours, which means that the brain is very, very active.
We need to be more open about mental health. As an artist and Indigenous woman, I feel the need to talk about it because I want other people to understand that even if you have a mental illness, you can still have a very productive life.
I’m very interested in health, especially Indigenous health. I did a beading of a painting, and then I thought, I really like this. I was just struck by how beautiful they were and the depth of the colour and that kind of thing. I started thinking about Indigenous women and the first time they saw beads and how it must have felt.
From that I started thinking about trade. Then I started thinking about the downside of trade, which includes disease. I started looking them up on a microscopic level and that was when I discovered these beautiful abstracted images.
I’ve always been aware of what’s going on in the world, what’s going on, as we say, in ‘Indian country.’ In my work, that’s who my audience is—other Indigenous people.
I want to talk about what’s going on with us. So, unfortunately, a lot of the work has to do with racism.
Connect with us on social media:
Canada Council for the Arts
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Facebook - facebook.com/canadacouncil
Twitter - twitter.com/CanadaCouncil
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canada-council-for-the-arts
Website - canadacouncil.ca
Art Bank
Instagram - instagram.com/artbank_banquedart
Facebook - facebook.com/CCartbank
YouTube - youtube.com/watch?v=x9fGIx7hZYk
Website - artbank.ca
CCUNESCO - Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Instagram - instagram.com/ccunesco
Twitter - twitter.com/CCUNESCO
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canadian-commission-for-unesco
Website - en.ccunesco.ca
Please like this video and subscribe to support the arts in Canada.
Ruth Cuthand is a 2020 winner of the Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Kyle Armstrong.
Production of the Canada Council for the Arts. Presentation of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Independent Media Arts Alliance.
The Canada Council for the Arts is a federal, arm’s-length Crown corporation created by an Act of Parliament in 1957 (Canada Council for the Arts Act) “to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.”
For more information, visit ggarts.ca
****
Transcript:
In my work, I speak as an Indigenous woman.
I grew up in a family where my father was, as they would say, he was ‘learned.’ He would make sure that we were informed, that we knew what was going on.
And so, once you’re aware of what’s going on in the world then you become aware of what [are] inequities.
With this series of MRIs, I’m trying to give a visual representation to mental illness.
This is an MRI image of a brain that is having a schizophrenic episode. So, as you can see, most of the brain is lit up in bright colours, which means that the brain is very, very active.
We need to be more open about mental health. As an artist and Indigenous woman, I feel the need to talk about it because I want other people to understand that even if you have a mental illness, you can still have a very productive life.
I’m very interested in health, especially Indigenous health. I did a beading of a painting, and then I thought, I really like this. I was just struck by how beautiful they were and the depth of the colour and that kind of thing. I started thinking about Indigenous women and the first time they saw beads and how it must have felt.
From that I started thinking about trade. Then I started thinking about the downside of trade, which includes disease. I started looking them up on a microscopic level and that was when I discovered these beautiful abstracted images.
I’ve always been aware of what’s going on in the world, what’s going on, as we say, in ‘Indian country.’ In my work, that’s who my audience is—other Indigenous people.
I want to talk about what’s going on with us. So, unfortunately, a lot of the work has to do with racism.
Connect with us on social media:
Canada Council for the Arts
Instagram - instagram.com/canada.council
Facebook - facebook.com/canadacouncil
Twitter - twitter.com/CanadaCouncil
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canada-council-for-the-arts
Website - canadacouncil.ca
Art Bank
Instagram - instagram.com/artbank_banquedart
Facebook - facebook.com/CCartbank
YouTube - youtube.com/watch?v=x9fGIx7hZYk
Website - artbank.ca
CCUNESCO - Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Instagram - instagram.com/ccunesco
Twitter - twitter.com/CCUNESCO
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/company/canadian-commission-for-unesco
Website - en.ccunesco.ca
