Objects contain meanings beyond their materiality, meanings that we bring to them or receive from them. Objects are the result of an action, entail a trace of a human gesture, and trigger reactions and memories. They have the potential to be read collectively or personally. In her artistic practice, Maria Hupfield reveals the interrelational potential triggered by objects between humans or cultural environments.

This commissioned photograph Bound, Hupfield 2017 (2017) depicts a seascape painted by Hupfield’s late mother Peggy Miller when she was a young woman. The painting is shown “bound” with felt, a material frequently employed by the artist. In its classical sense, the figurative painting can be viewed as a window onto another, pictorial world. Positioned on the gallery’s south facade, the photograph assumes the role of a window, where the felt acts like a curtain revealing the canvas. Simultaneously, the painting reflects the external world, mirroring the view of Lake Ontario.

The oil painting also acts as the protagonist of Hupfield’s new commissioned two-channel video installation, showing in her solo exhibition The One Who Keeps On Giving at The Power Plant until May 14, curated by Carolin Köchling. The videos depict performances by the artist and her siblings around the memory evoked by the seascape painting.

Maria Hupfield is a member of Wasauksing First Nation, Ontario, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

Presented in partnership with The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery