UA major recognition for a leading voice in Indigenous contemporary art
The Government of Québec has awarded Nadia Myre the 2024 Prix du Québec in Visual Arts, recognizing a career deeply rooted in commitment, memory, and cultural transmission.
Among the most prestigious distinctions in Québec’s cultural landscape, this award highlights the importance of Myre’s work at the crossroads of contemporary art and Indigenous traditions.
A member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, Nadia Myre has explored profound themes for over two decades — identity, resilience, and collective healing.
Her multidisciplinary practice intertwines beadwork, embroidery, video, and installation, often through participatory approaches grounded in dialogue and community.
Her numerous distinctions include the Sobey Art Award (2014), the Louis-Comtois Prize (2021), the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec, and her induction into the Royal Society of Canada.
Her most renowned work, Indian Act (2002), was created in collaboration with over 200 participants who collectively beaded every word of the Indian Act — transforming a colonial symbol into a collective act of cultural reclamation.
In The Scar Project, she invited participants to represent their scars — physical or emotional — through sewing and weaving.
These projects create spaces of healing, memory, and shared experience, both deeply personal and politically charged.
An artist supported by Manif d’art throughout her journey
Manif d’art had the privilege of presenting Nadia Myre’s work during Manif d’art 9 – The Québec City Biennial (2019).
Her installation Living with Contradiction — an immersive video piece — featured a talking circle of Indigenous artists, thinkers, and creators reflecting on memory, decolonization, and museum institutions.
Their voices resonated powerfully within the Biennial’s broader theme, which emphasized art as a tool for reconciliation and cultural dialogue.
The exhibition was presented at Le Lieu, under the curatorship of Jonathan Watkins, in a program that gave significant visibility to Indigenous artists.
Myre’s work stood out for its ability to bridge traditional practices and contemporary reflection, offering viewers a transformative and introspective experience.
Following this, Manif d’art also supported Myre’s international presentation as part of the Shore exhibition in London (Summer 2022) at Canada House.
This ongoing collaboration illustrates Manif d’art’s commitment to amplifying strong and rooted artistic voices, both locally and globally.
An inspiration for future generations
Today more than ever, Nadia Myre’s career reminds us that art can serve as an act of resilience, a tool for dialogue, and a force for social transformation.
Her recent Prix du Québec only reaffirms what audiences and cultural institutions have long recognized:
Myre’s work is essential.
Manif d’art is proud to have contributed to the dissemination of this singular voice and warmly congratulates Nadia Myre on this well-deserved recognition.
