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- "Deconstruction of the Mind" by Shawnee Hill is the latest in RoCo's public art series.
Previously, RoCo’s park-facing wall was adorned with Thai artist Ong Siraphisut’s installation of mirrored tiles that left negative space, which spelled out the word “Breathe.” The artist said his work was meant to get viewers to pause to reflect and feel gratitude, a poignant prompt amid the pandemic and political upheaval that divided communities.
Hill created an installation with a similar aim. The three giant reproductions of her oracle card drawings could certainly stop passersby in their tracks.
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- Divine feminine energy is an important thematic element in "Deconstruction of the Mind."
“These are meditation pieces, for dealing with whatever you’re dealing with,” Hill said. “That’s what creating art has always done for me, and I’m realizing that is what I want to share.”
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- Shawnee Hill refers to the three oracle card drawings as "meditation pieces."
Hill is having a banner year so far. There’s this installation, for one. She’ll discuss the mural at a First Friday artist’s talk planned for Feb. 3 at RoCo. And she also took part in a live painting competition in Toronto in late December.
The affirmative, soul-centering messages in Hill’s work are meant to be encouraging to everyone, but they also serve as a reminder to Hill, who is doing the tough work of transitioning into working as a full-time artist and pursuing a deeper relationship with her Indigenous heritage.
“It’s really exciting to take that journey and really be honest with who I am, and what that heritage is, and honor that,” Hill said. “Because the more I'm finding out about it, the more it feels like home.”
Rebecca Rafferty is CITY's life editor. She can be reached at [email protected].