Emily Helen Irene

Artist Statement

I am a white settler who was raised on the unceded territories of the Stó:lō Nation, and a queer non-binary person who was raised in the mormon church. I see these two aspects of my identity as being significant in my ongoing, lifelong pursuit of tangible allyship, as well as my desire to contribute to greater justice, better-informed and increasingly accessible political engagement, and heightened representation for members of the LGBTQ 2S+ – especially those raised in misogynistic and homophobic religions and/or cultures.

Place-specific representation is essential to folks accessing language to engage with their own identities. An LGBTQ 2S+ individual will have a unique experience based on their culture, their home (rural vs. urban, lifelong vs. migrant), the religion of their upbringing, their ethnicity, etc.  Throughout the years i have found that definition can be endlessly helpful to working through the complexities of unpacking one’s own identity, and the aspects of it which have been rejected by the norms of the complex society one was raised in.

My work “Reflections on Harm” has slowly come together over the span of four years. As i have moved across the northern side of Turtle Island, working in several fields and becoming deeply involved with several communities, i have had the opportunity to reflect on how the concepts of home and representation have affected my own ability to begin to define my own identity.

“Reflections on Harm” explores the comfort and the pain of home, the path towards self-acceptance, and the ever-changing relationship each individual has with their geographic placement – whether they choose to acknowledge a place’s influence on them or not.