“On this day in...”
March 9 2002
Robert Burke’s Aboriginal Immersion: obscuring the lines
“I realized that as a Métis with Negro ancestry, my view would follow a different line than the First Nation or white people. I painted these images so they could become real for me. I wanted to make some form of connection to ideas and concept that I am unfamiliar with. I did not know that there was a culture that I as a Métis could relate to....I come from a nation of people who roamed this land thousands of years ago, and there is a nation of people roaming, looking for some positive aspect of their past, they are called Métis. Their connection to the land goes deep. It is just finding the recognition, that they too are concerned with identity.” (Artist’s Statement, Aboriginal Immersion, 2002)
Fusing an iconography of images (animal and human figures, colors) inspired by his own Chipewyan Native culture, and some of his own personal symbols, he has created a story of individual triumph. He places the work within positive context and fills the canvas with a multitude of strong optimistic metaphors, and through this he is able to create images of strength for himself. As artist and creator, he is forming a definition of what identity is all about and can acknowledge both sides of his background.” (Daina Warren, curator, 2002)
