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NO BURDEN
Chrystal Phan • Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde (Kanienkehaka) • Christian Yves Jones
This exhibition explores how cultural identity impacts artistic output. In the role of project instigator, Chrystal Phan invited two artists from very different backgrounds — Katsitsakatste Delaronde (Kanienkehaka) and Christian Yves Jones — to join the examination of the topic of BIPOC burden. Their works in painting, sculpture, lens-based images, video, and sound that form this exhibition explore the entire spectrum of their creative reflections — from liberation to burden — and all the resulting messy politics, memories, and emotions that arise when cultural identities are foregrounded in the art they create.
CHRYSTAL PHAN
“Pregnant Bittermelon”, Crystal Phan, 2024.
Pregnant Bittermelon, 2024.
Artist Statement:
In 2017, I sat in a meeting where, as a fundraiser for a large public institution, I was asked to create a video showcasing a story of how a family benefitted from that institution’s programming.
After I made my proposal, the Executive in charge said to me: Great story, but don’t use a white family. We need to show that we represent all British Columbians.
Me: Well, you actually don’t represent all British Columbians and there aren’t any families of colour who use these programs. So maybe start addressing that gap instead of just putting a token family in an advertisement.
The result of that conversation was that she wrote me up for insubordination and mandated me to take “diversity training”. I quit my job instead.
This is an example of BIPOC burden, when people from underrepresented communities are saddled with a responsibility to point out cultural blindspots, or nominated to become unofficial spokespersons for their particular identity. Sometimes this pressure comes from the outside and sometimes from within. Sometimes, it is the burden of standing up against things that might not otherwise be noticed, like tokenism, and the stress and ramifications of doing so.
In the case of making art, I started this project two years ago feeling the burden of representation. Identity politics (especially as it pertains to race, gender and sexuality) has become such a ubiquitous part of any conversation about art creation today but I am wary of where it will take me. At the same time, as someone free to create art in anyway that I want to, I also see it as a rare opportunity for me to ‘fill the gaps’ around me.
The title of this show, NO BURDEN, can be interpreted in various ways. I’ve chosen it specifically for its ambiguity. It relies on the relationship between the viewer and their own cultural burdens or responsibilities to give it meaning.
I worked through many ideas before landing on what I present to you here. I started with thinking about how my cultural identity relates to my art and how that became a responsibility or burden to represent an entire community.
I tried to see how having this conversation over the last year with Lindsay and Christian might create new ideas and new works, or not.
In the end, I concluded that I can’t escape cultural representation in my art and it isn’t a burden. My unique life experiences, good and bad, are a wellspring of artistic inspiration without which I’d probably have nothing to say.
Biography:
Chrystal Phan’s work focuses on large-scale genre paintings that merge childhood memories, family histories, and everyday experiences to explore stories of contemporary Canadian life as a second-generation Canadian.
By presenting these family scenes in ways that are not exotic, magical, or otherwise orientalized, she attempts to draw attention to the ways in which national identity is formed and guarded that keep racialized citizens from feeling like they truly belong. Underlying this theme are the universal experiences of intergenerational family conflict and cultural confusion.
Artist’s Acknowledgements: The Canada Council for the Arts and the Comox Valley Art Gallery and its staff team.
LINDSAY KATSITSAKATSTE DELARONDE (KANIENKEHAKA)
Risk, 2024.
Artist Statement:
The series Risk, Trigger, Atrophy & Drag embodies the lived experiences and complex emotions Indigenous artists navigate within and beyond their communities. Together they exist to express the connections between emotion, body, and history within the Indigenous context, critiquing Western notions of affect that separate the body and history, thus marginalizing Indigenous ways of knowing and being. This series explores how the bodies central nervous system is impacted by the tensions between carrying the profound responsibility of representing Indigenous voices and the constant negotiation of cultural protocols in art-making. The work explores the intricate balance of holding space for multiple truths—honoring both the burdens of accountability and the liberating potential of creative expression.
As Indigenous artists, we often face dual scrutiny from within our communities and the broader world, required to navigate discussions around safety, ethics, and conflict resolution. This series reflect the challenges of creating art that is subject to intersecting expectations and boundaries, while still fostering a space for vulnerability and dialogue. Through photography, video, and sculpture, the works critically examine colonial systems of exclusion and the limiting frameworks placed on BIPOC artists, encouraging a broader spectrum of creative possibility and self-expression.
Central to this series is a commitment to ethical collaboration informed by Indigenous intellectual property, cultural authority, and ancestral knowledge. Grounded in the lands and waters that guide Indigenous protocols, the works invite reflection on how we build relational accountability through place-based practices. The artworks aspire to generate a space where diverse perspectives can coexist, and dialogue thrives–illuminating the conditions necessary for shared understanding and mutual respect in art-making.
By creating an embodied artistic experience, this series fosters conversations about the ethics of care, accountability, and the transformative power of collaboration. These pieces honor the idea that while our unique cultural identities shape the context of our work, they are not the entirety of the story. In meeting each other first as artists — before as members of different racial or cultural groups–we create pathways to shared humanity, respect, and creative fusion.
Through this series, I invite viewers to engage deeply with the complexities of cultural norms, biases, and historical power dynamics. By learning from Indigenous artists worldwide and embracing diverse knowledges, we can unlock spaces of safety, openness, and mutual understanding. These works are a call to embrace courage, vulnerability, and dialogue as we work towards healing, connection, and the creation of art that transcends boundaries while holding the essence of care and accountability.
Biography:
My name is Lindsay Katsitsakatste Delaronde, I am Kanienke’haka from Kahnawake. I hold a Master’s degree in Fine Arts and a Master of Arts in the Indigenous Communities Counseling Psychology program from the University of Victoria. I am currently enrolled as a PhD student in the Indigenous Governance program at UVIC. I currently hold the faculty appointment of the Audain Professorship in the visual arts department at UVIC. My artistic practice focuses on Indigenous dance and theatre, land-based dramaturgy, embodiment, site-specific performance art, co-creative collaborative practice, cultural resurgence and social/political activism and decolonial methodologies in art. My multi-media disciplines include photography, leatherwork, beadwork, textiles and screen-printing. My artistic philosophy is grounded within Indigenous aesthetic practices influenced and shaped by my Haudenosaunee epistemologies and natural law.
My solo and community projects intimately converse with the socio-political relationship to land, body, cosmos, identity, eroticism, Indigenous sovereignty and Indigenous feminisms to forge artistic pathways towards a liberatory existence for self-actualization and self-determination. I weave culture, art, history, ceremony, healing, spirituality, breath, song, movement, human development and mindfulness into the tapestry of the creative process to support the re-visioning of Indigenous futurities of hope and beauty. Transcending the intergenerational soul wound through the impasse of the radical creative spirit is what I strive to offer in my work.
CHRISTIAN YVES JONES
Where Are You From?, 2025.
Artist Statement:
Where Are You From? is a deeply personal exploration of my own memories and identity. Through this work, I reflect on the complexities of being Filipino, Kiwi, and Canadian, asking myself: Who am I within these overlapping identities? As the narrative unfolds, these distinctions blur, revealing a multifaceted and evolving sense of self.
I use photographs to examine how culture is represented, drawing imagery from three significant chapters of my life: the Philippines, New Zealand, and Canada. Each of these places, which I’ve called home, pulls me in different directions, embodying both the tension and fluidity of belonging to multiple cultures.
Initially, I group the photographs by their origins, highlighting the distinct identities tied to each place. Over time, these images become interwoven, illustrating how my identity is not singular or static but a complex, dynamic construct.
This video is an invitation for viewers to reflect on their own cultural and personal experiences. It offers a glimpse into the challenges and nuances of navigating the immigrant diaspora, prompting a deeper consideration of how memory, heritage, and lived experiences shape the stories we tell about who we are.
Biography:
I am a Philippine-born, New Zealand-raised filmmaker and video artist currently based in Vancouver, BC. I graduated with a Bachelor of Communication Studies from Auckland University of Technology (New Zealand), where I received a Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship. My work spans a diverse range of formats, including corporate videos, music videos, short films, video art films, and live television broadcasts. My creative practice often focuses on exploring stories from the LGBTQ+ community and the Asian diaspora in the West.
My video artwork, The Petal, Cánh Hoa (2020), was featured in Pride in Chinatown MMXX, curated by Paul Wong. In 2024 I was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Host, Web Program or Series, for Season 4 of Pride: The LGBTQ+ History Series, and I am currently co-hosting and co-producing Season 6.
As a Director of Photography, I worked on To Make Ends Meat (2021), directed by Kimberly Ho, which won the People’s Choice Award for Best Short Film at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, and Inay (2024), directed by Thea Loo, which won the Arbutus Award (Best BC Film) at the Vancouver International Film Festival. In 2024, I also served as Associate Creative Director for Lapu-Lapu Day Block Party, an epic event in Vancouver celebrating Lapu-Lapu, the Philippines’ first national hero.
