Jordan Bennett

February 11, 2022

Jordan Bennett lives and works on his ancestral territory of Mi’kma’ki in Terence Bay, Nova Scotia. 

He explores land, language, and familial histories in his art to challenge colonial perceptions of Indigenous histories.

His signature style consists of elaborate patterns and bold colors that are rooted in a deep history of Mi’kmaq porcupine quillwork. Over the years he has studied and acquired these cultural objects. Today, Bennett connects with his ancestral visual language, remembering and reimagining our relations to each other, to our histories, and with the land. 

For generations, Indigenous peoples have measured the year by a lunar cycle of 13 full moons, which are visible every 28 days over the course of the 365 days that make up a year. In 13 Moons: Full Suite, each circular print represents one of the moons in the Mi’kmaq year. The Mi’kmaq lunar cycle begins in Siwkewikús (March), the forerunner of spring, and ends in Apunknajit (February), the snow-blinding month. The names of the full moons vary from tribe to tribe and from region to region, since each full moon was known by whichever natural resources were most abundant at that time. Bennett’s prints capture time and changing seasons, as well as ancestral knowledge of stewarding and sustaining the land as it is portrayed in Mi’kmaq visual culture. Bennett’s 13 Moons: Full Suite visualize, mark, and address such annual Mi’kmaq traditions. 

  Maple Sugar-Siwkewikús
Maple Sugar-Siwkewikús
  Leaves Full Blossom-Nipnikús
Leaves Full Blossom-Nipnikús
  Moose Calling Moon-Wikumkewikús
Moose Calling Moon-Wikumkewikús
  Chief Moon-Kiskewikús
Chief Moon-Kiskewikús
  Sun is Very Strong-Apunknajit
Sun is Very Strong-Apunknajit
  Birds Lay Eggs-Penamuikús
Birds Lay Eggs-Penamuikús
  Birds Shed Feathers-Peskewikús
Birds Shed Feathers-Peskewikús
  Fat Tame Animals-Wikewikús
Fat Tame Animals-Wikewikús
  Great Moon-Kjikús
Great Moon-Kjikús
  Frogs Croaking-Etquljuikús
Frogs Croaking-Etquljuikús
  Ripening Time-Kisikwekewikús
Ripening Time-Kisikwekewikús
  Rivers About to Freeze-Keptekewikús
Rivers About to Freeze-Keptekewikús
  Spawn of Tom Cod-Punamujuikús
Spawn of Tom Cod-Punamujuikús

Jordan Bennett (Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), Mi’kma’ki, born 1986), 13 Moons: Full Suite, 2020, giclée print on rag paper, 24 x 24 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Museum purchase with support from the Contemporary Art Fund, 2021.13.1–13. © Jordan Bennett. Photography by Luc Demers


Explore more artworks from North Atlantic Triennial

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