Tyshan Wright: Maroon Town

Curated by Julie Hollenbach

Maroon Town is an immersive exhibition by Kjipuktuk (Halifax)-based artist Tyshan Wright. Following their forced exile after the Second Maroon War with the British, Jamaican Maroons were exiled to Mi’kma’ki and the British colony of Nova Scotia in 1796. Despite sustained resistance and protest, the majority of Maroons departed Nova Scotia centuries ago, however, many Maroon descendants still live in this province where the legacy of Maroon culture endures. In this exhibition, Tyshan Wright creates a staged Maroon house and settlement that includes expertly handcrafted iterations of the ceremonial and everyday domestic objects that Maroons were forced to leave behind in Jamaica, as well as those they use today. This staged settlement imagines Jamaican Maroons and Maroon life thriving across time and place. Maroon Town celebrates historic Maroon resilience and present-day acts of sovereignty that build a vibrant and connected tomorrow for Maroon descendants. Over the course of the Maroon Town exhibition, Tyshan Wright will be enacting durational performances in the gallery, creating a Maroon home using an adapted wattle and daub building technology. (MSVU Art Gallery)

Click here to read a review of the exhibition and browse images of the artwork and durational performance below.