Gabrielle L’Horindelle Hill: The Spider Plays

Cooper Cole, Toronto, CA

By Maxime Foucquet

Issue 20541,
Exhibition Features

October 7, 2024
, 10:34 am

COOPER COLE’s current show, “The Spider Plays,” marks the second solo exhibition by Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill at the gallery. The exhibition explores the complex and imagined experiences of a community of spiders navigating emotions such as fear, anxiety, and the looming threat of violence, juxtaposed with themes of collectivity and creativity. It’s about time we spun our way into covering “The Spider Plays”—we just couldn’t resist getting caught up in its web.

“The Spider Plays” consists of multi-page artworks created through a combination of ink and collage on paper. These pieces are distinctively arranged to represent concrete poetry, with text forming the shapes of spiders and incorporating elements like stage directions and dialogue. This creative textual arrangement transforms each piece of paper into a metaphorical wall on which the spiders reside. Furthermore, several sculptural elements translate the spiders’ narrative into a human-scale experience. Visitors are invited to traverse a constructed walkway that runs the length of the gallery, designed to elevate their perspective and engage them directly in the spatial narrative. This interactive installation not only draws parallels between the viewer’s movements and the spiders depicted in the artworks but also includes sculptures such as silk pajamas with four arms and sneakers adorned with fine, hair-like threads, further immersing visitors in the thematic essence of the plays.

Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, born in 1979 in Comox, British Columbia, is an artist and writer whose work is deeply influenced by her Cree and English heritage. Hill’s artistic endeavors frequently critique capitalism and explore alternative economic systems, utilizing found and easily accessible materials to challenge concepts of private property, exchange, and the underground economy. A proud member of the BUSH gallery—an Indigenous artist collective—Hill’s practice is grounded in land-based teachings and Indigenous epistemologies. Hill’s academic background includes an MFA from the California College of the Arts and both a BFA and BA from Simon Fraser University. Her works have been displayed in prestigious venues worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Hessel Museum of Art at Bard College, the 59th Venice Biennale, and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, among others.

For more information, visit the gallery’s website here.