This powerful and emotionally charged performance directly addressed the crisis of violence against Indigenous women in Canada. It brought attention to a marginalized community and demanded justice and recognition. Belmore's work often uses her own body to confront issues of colonialism, violence, and social injustice.
Born: 1960, Upsala, Ontario, Canada
Nationality: Anishinaabe
Style: Performance Art, Installation Art, Photography
Influences: Anishinaabe culture, feminism, social justice
Major Exhibitions: "Vigil" (2002), "Fountain" (2005), "Blood on the Snow" (2017)
Quote: "I'm interested in using art to create a space for dialogue and healing."
Website: https://www.rebeccabelmore.com/
Vigil was a performance piece in which Belmore, in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, scrubbed the street, lit candles, and called out the names of missing and murdered Indigenous women. The performance culminated in her nailing her red dress to a telephone pole and tearing it off, leaving it in shreds.
