OCAD U-curated exhibition opens at Gwangju Biennale

The opening of the exhibition, Skennen'kó:wa ken? (Do You Carry Great Peace?), on September 5 in the Canada Pavilion at the Gwangju Biennale in South Korea, celebrated the exceptional talent of three Kanien'kehá:ka contemporary artists whose works are being showcased at Asia’s most significant biennale. 

Generously sponsored by former OCAD University Board member David Binet, the exhibition is curated by OCAD University, in collaboration with the Lee KangHa Art Museum in Gwangju, and with support from Onsite Gallery and the Canadian Embassy in Seoul.

Skennen'kó:wa ken? (Do You Carry Great Peace?), curated by Ryan Rice, executive director and curator, Indigenous Art at Onsite Gallery, centres the work of Hannah Claus, Melissa General and Shelley Niro whose creative practices are grounded in the philosophy of peace embedded in the Kanien’kehá:ka daily greeting from which the exhibition takes its name. They are also graduates of OCAD University.

The opening brought together an international community of artists, curators, cultural leaders and Canadian representatives, including His Excellency Philippe Lafortune, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of South Korea; Mayor of Gwangju Min Hyung-bae; President of the Gwangju Biennale Foundation Youn Bummo; Lee Sun, Chief Curator of the Lee KangHa Art Museum and partner curator; OCAD University Board of Governors Chair Lanita Layton, and representatives of the Gwangju Biennale.

In his remarks at the opening reception, Ambassador Lafortune said this is Canada’s third consecutive pavilion in Gwangju, and extended his sincere appreciation to the Lee KangHa Art Museum who has been a partner since the beginning.

“Over three editions, this partnership has grown beyond a single exhibition, creating lasting connections among artists, institutions and communities in Canada and Korea. This year, we are pleased to take the next step with OCAD University, as it celebrates its 150th anniversary, and to present the work of three leading contemporary artists from Canada: Hannah Claus, Melissa General and Shelley Niro,” he said.

Through photography, video, sculpture installation, and multimedia practices, the exhibition explores identity, memory, sovereignty and the enduring responsibility of carrying peace.

“The title of this exhibition, Skennen’kó:wa ken? – Do You Carry Great Peace?, comes from a Kanien’kehá:ka daily greeting rooted in a philosophy of peace, mutual recognition and respect. Those ideas have particular resonance here in Gwangju,” continued Ambassador Lafortune. “Gwangju’s history, especially the May 18 Democratic Movement, has given this city a unique place in Korea’s story of democracy, human rights and dignity. Bringing artists to Gwangju creates an important opportunity for dialogue — about how societies remember difficult histories, how communities protect their culture and dignity, and how we carry those experiences forward.”

The exhibition highlights the global reach, ongoing evolution and impact of Indigenous contemporary art while demonstrating OCAD University’s leadership in advancing Indigenous artistic and curatorial practices on the international stage. 

“As OCAD University begins its next 150 years, we are honoured to be here, sharing Indigenous perspectives and building meaningful connections between our communities,” said OCAD U President and Vice-President Ana Serrano. “Through the work of Shelley Niro, Melissa General and Hannah Claus, Ryan Rice has brought into this space ideas of peace, land, memory, responsibility and sovereignty into a conversation that extends far beyond Canada.”

President Serrano also said that “Canada and Korea share important economic and strategic relationships, but our relationship is also cultural and human. Culture is one of the places where trust is built before it is needed. There may be no more meaningful place for that conversation than Gwangju.”

The Gwangju Biennale hosts artists from around the world to explore important global issues, especially those related to cultural identity, human rights, and social justice topics that connect to the city’s history as a centre for pro-democracy movements.

In speaking about the exhibition, curator Ryan Rice has previously said “the Canada Pavilion’s curatorial premise, carrying philosophical and generational duties of peace, aligns with Biennale Artistic Director Ho Tzu Nyen’s proposition, You Must Change Your Life, which considers how transformation unfolds not only through dramatic large-scale events and historical ruptures, but also quietly and continuously within our everyday lives.”

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Skennen'kó:wa ken? (Do You Carry Great Peace?) brings together interdisciplinary and lens-based works, including photography, video, sculpture and installation by Claus, General and Niro. Niro.

The artists’ practices are grounded in Kanien’kehá:ka teachings of peace, reflected in the daily greeting from which the exhibition takes its name. This greeting, an affirmation of mutual recognition and respect, reflects a foundational value of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (People of the Longhouse), recognized as the oldest continuous democracy in the Americas, predating Western colonization.

Centering the political, cultural, and spiritual roles of Haudenosaunee women, the pavilion emphasizes rematriation – Indigenous women-led efforts to restore intergenerational relationships to ancestral lands, waters, and cultural knowledge – while exploring continuity and self-governance through contemporary artistic practice.

Positioned within Gwangju’s history of democratic resistance and collective action, the exhibition fosters dialogue between Indigenous governance philosophies, Haudenosaunee worldview and global movements for justice and renewal. It affirms Canada’s commitment to cultural sovereignty, reconciliation, and inclusive contemporary art discourse, while expanding dominant narratives of Canadian art on an international stage.

RYAN RICE, CURATOR

Ryan Rice, Kanien’kehá:ka of Kahnawake, is a Toronto-based curator, critic, and creative consultant. With a curatorial career spanning over 35 years, he has worked across communities, museums, artist-run centres, public spaces and galleries. Rice currently serves as executive director and curator, Indigenous Art at OCAD University’s Onsite Gallery. He is the 2025 recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Margo Bindhardt and Rita Davies Cultural Leadership Award. With a deep commitment to fostering and advancing Indigenous artistic expression and visibility, Rice continues to be a vital figure in the arts and culture sector, championing Indigenous perspectives and contemporary art.

LEE SUN, KOREAN PARTNER CURATOR
Lee Sun, chief curator at the Lee KangHa Art Museum, has curated exhibitions focused on contemporary art that connects the past and the present and breaks down the boundaries of cities and nations. She served as co-curator for the Gwangju Biennale special exhibition, Maytoday: Between the Visible and the Speakable, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, and as the executive curator for the Korea-Canada Arctic Research Project, a joint international arts fund project of the Korea Arts Council in 2023-24. She has been a managing partner to the Canada Pavilion since the 14th Gwangju Biennale.

HANNAH CLAUS

A member of Kenhtè:ke | Tyendinaga Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Hannah Claus engages with memory, identity and histories through material and cultural expressions in her artistic practice. Often working within Kanien’kehá:ka frameworks, her installations and two-dimensional artworks explore ways of understanding as active and transversal concepts. She is a recipient of the Eiteljorg Fellowship (2019) and the Prix Giverny (2020).

She is an associate professor in the Studio Arts Department at Concordia University in Tiohtià:ke | Montreal where she holds a Concordia University Research Chair in Onkehonwené:ha (2021-26) and is co-director of the Indigenous Futures Research Centre (2024-2027). Claus lives and works in Kanien’kehá:ka territory, Tiohtià:ke | Montreal, since 2001.

MELISSA GENERAL

Melissa General is Mohawk/Oneida from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She is a graduate of OCAD University and received a Master of Fine Arts degree from York University. She is a multidisciplinary artist working in photography, audio, video and installation. Her practice is focused on her home territory of Six Nations and the Grand River and the concepts of memory, language and land.

She is a Hnatyshyn Foundation REVEAL Indigenous Art Award laureate and was named as the 2018 Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Award Emerging Artist laureate.

SHELLEY NIRO

Shelley Niro, a member of the Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk, Six Nations of the Grand River Reserve, was born in Niagara Falls, New York. A multidisciplinary artist working in painting, photography, and film, her work challenges colonial narratives while celebrating the resilience, strength, and beauty of Indigenous women and Mohawk culture.

Niro’s art has earned national and international recognition. She received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts (2017), the Scotiabank Photography Award (2017), and the Ontario Arts Foundation’s Paul de Hueck and Norman Walford Career Achievement Award (2020). She has also been recognized with honorary doctorates from OCAD University, Western University, and Wilfrid Laurier University.