Skeena Reece

Skeena Reece
Name	Skeena Reece
Birth date	1974
Birth place	Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	Artist, Performer, Musician
Known for	Performance art, Vocal performance, Interdisciplinary practice

Skeena Reece is an Indigenous Canadian multidisciplinary artist and performer known for work that intersects Indigenous, feminist, and decolonial practices through performance, music, film, and installation. Reece's practice engages with histories of colonialism, residential schools, and contemporary Indigenous resurgence while drawing on traditions of Powwow, storytelling, and experimental song. She has exhibited and performed with institutions such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and international festivals, collaborating with artists, curators, and activists across North America and Europe.

Early life and education

Born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Reece grew up within contexts shaped by the histories of the Tsimshian people and broader Indigenous communities on the North Coast of British Columbia. Her early exposure to community-led ceremonies and musical forms informed later work that intertwines Powwow rhythms and contemporary performance. Reece undertook formal studies at institutions including the Emily Carr University of Art and Design and later participated in residencies tied to organizations such as the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and the School for Contemporary Arts, Simon Fraser University, positioning her practice within networks of Canadian contemporary art, Indigenous curatorship, and cross-disciplinary pedagogy.

Artistic practice and themes

Reece's artistic practice blends vocal performance, costume, choreography, installation, and video to address legacies of colonialism, gendered violence, intergenerational trauma, and resilience. She frequently invokes elements of Powwow regalia, mask performance, and everyday materials to complicate narratives produced by institutions like the Canadian Museum of History and the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Her work dialogues with artists and thinkers such as Rebecca Belmore, Brian Jungen, Kent Monkman, Daphne Odjig, and Jeffrey Gibson while engaging curatorial frameworks promoted by figures like Daina Warren, Candice Hopkins, and Isabella Moffat. Reece's practice situates ceremony as methodology, aligning with movements represented by organizations such as Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and contemporary collectives like Indigenous Action.

Performance art and exhibitions

Reece has staged seminal performances at venues including the National Gallery of Canada, the Contemporary Art Gallery (Vancouver), and the British Museum. Her notable performance pieces—often incorporating audience interaction, live singing, and rapid costume changes—speak to histories memorialized by events like the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and policies such as the Indian Act. She has participated in exhibitions curated by Yamamoto Kayo, Nicolas Blin, and Fiona Lee, and performed at festivals including the Vancouver International Film Festival, Luminato Festival, and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Reece's performances have been reviewed in outlets aligned with the Toronto International Film Festival circuit and discussed within symposia at institutions like the Banff Centre and Emily Carr University.

Musical career and recordings

As a musician, Reece blends traditional song forms with punk, spoken word, and experimental composition, collaborating with musicians affiliated with scenes around Vancouver and Toronto. She has released recordings that juxtapose Powwow vocal techniques with electric instrumentation, working with producers and performers linked to labels and collectives such as Artspeak, Nuit Blanche Toronto, and independent Indigenous music initiatives. Reece has performed alongside artists like Buffy Sainte-Marie, A Tribe Called Red, Tanya Tagaq, and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson in contexts spanning benefit concerts, Indigenous music showcases, and interdisciplinary performance nights. Her musical output has been featured on programs associated with CBC Music, Nardwuar the Human Serviette interviews, and community radio networks.

Film, video, and theatre work

Reece's film and video work employs montage, voiceover, and performative mise-en-scène to examine representation and archival silences, showing in festivals such as the Vancouver International Film Festival and venues like the Pacific Cinematheque. She has appeared in theatre projects and collaborative productions with companies and artists from the Bergen International Festival, Tarragon Theatre, and community-driven troupes focusing on Indigenous dramaturgy. Reece's moving-image pieces have been screened alongside works by Alanis Obomsawin, Zoe Whittall, and Drew Hayden Taylor and contextualized in panels convened by the Canada Council for the Arts and National Film Board of Canada partners.

Awards and recognition

Reece has received acknowledgments from arts councils and institutions including the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and scholarship or residency support from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her performances and recordings have been shortlisted for prizes and featured in year-end lists curated by organizations such as the Vancouver Art Gallery and Toronto Arts Council, and she has been the subject of monographic essays in publications tied to curators like Candice Hopkins and critics affiliated with Canadian Art magazine.

Personal life and community engagement

Reece is active in community arts education, mentoring youth through programs connected to organizations such as the Native Education College (Vancouver), Urban Native Youth Association, and grassroots collectives focused on Indigenous arts access. She collaborates with elders, knowledge keepers, and activists involved with movements like Idle No More and initiatives addressing missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls convened by networks such as Families of Sisters in Spirit. Reece's community work interweaves public performance, workshop facilitation, and participation in cultural revitalization projects across British Columbia and Turtle Island.

Category:First Nations artists Category:Canadian performance artists Category:Canadian musicians