Gordon Sparks
June 28 - August 10, 2025
Ceremony & Reception: Saturday, June 28 from 1-3pm
RSVP here (not required, but appreciated!)
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto
‘Mask Medicine’ is a solo exhibition by Gordon Sparks that explores the past and present of Mi’kmaw masks and skin markings as vital carriers of cultural knowledge. The exhibition centers around three types of Mi’kmaw masks—storytelling, dancing, and ceremonial—each used to share lived experiences and ancestral teachings of all our relations.
Each wooden mask is accompanied by a large-scale drawing of a human figure, filled with visual symbols representing the birds, plants, fish, animals, and insects connected to each mask’s story. These full-body drawings revive the practice of Mi’kmaw skin markings (tattoos), which historically mapped the knowledge and materials required to sustain cultural lifeways. Together, the masks and drawings honour the role of Mi’kmaw knowledge keepers—those who preserve and pass down these teachings.
The masks are suspended at varying heights to reflect the unique spiritual presence of each one, mirroring how we perceive the differences among people. Rooted in the Gordon’s lived experience and learning with knowledge keepers and ceremony leaders from Mi’kma’ki (Atlantic Canada), ‘Mask Medicine’ invites visitors to witness and deepen their understanding of Mi’kmaw traditions. It is an offering of education, revival, and cultural continuity through visual storytelling.
Gordon Sparks is a Mi’kmaw artist from Pabineau First Nation, now living in Rough Waters, New Brunswick. Gordon harvests wood and animal materials through ceremony, carving masks that embody the spirit of Mi’kmaw stories, traditions, and teachings. Each mask reflects a deeply personal journey—guided by the tree itself—and speaks to the lives of his people, past and present. His work honours traditional knowledge, ceremony, and storytelling, breathing life into Mi’kmaw characters through collaborations with dancers, drummers, and regalia makers. Also a skin artist with over 30 years of experience, Gordon fuses tattoo design and carving to preserve and share cultural teachings. His work has been exhibited across Atlantic Canada and internationally, including at London’s prestigious Collect Art Fair. Committed to mentorship and cultural preservation, Gordon continues to guide and inspire Indigenous artists and communities across Mi’kma’ki.
This exhibition is supported by the New Brunswick Arts Board.
Cette exposition est soutenue par le Conseil des arts du Nouveau-Brunswick.
