Double Gazebo (MOCA), which is an iteration of another project, Double Gazebo (Markham), is cordoned off. Similar to our relationships with public spaces during the pandemic, the work is experienced like an image, rather than a physical object. Reflecting broader debates around social spaces as places of exchange, connectivity,  land use and standard approaches, Double Gazebo (MOCA) expands on concepts of dual use. It creates interactions between space and occupation, inside and outside, and darkness and light. Its black finish references shadows, the beauty that emerges when two things are set against one another and the infinite possibilities that a dark night sky inspires.

This project for GTA21  intentionally disregards colonial definitions of Indigenous art and design elements. Instead, it calls into question the concept of "categorized aesthetic," in terms of both expression and self-representation.

Native Art Department International (NADI) is a collaborative long-term project created and administered by Maria Hupfield and Jason Lujan. It focuses on communications platforms and art-world systems of support while functioning as emancipation from essentialism and identity-based artwork. It seeks to circumvent easy categorization by comprising a diverse range of undertakings such as curated exhibitions, video screenings, panel talks, collective art making, and an online presence, however all activities contain an undercurrent of positive progress through cooperation and non-competition.

Native Art Department International (NADI) is a long-term collaborative project created and administered by Maria Hupfield (born 1975 in Parry Sound, Ontario) and Jason Lujan (born 1971 in Marfa, TX). NADI focuses on communications platforms and systems of support in the art world. Its output includes curated exhibitions, video screenings, panel discussions, collective art-making and -documenting, and an online presence. Its most recent exhibition in Toronto was Bureau of Aesthetics, presented at Mercer Union in 2020.

Double Gazebo (Markham) was commissioned by the City of Markham’s Public Art Program and is located at the outdoor courtyard of the Varley Art Gallery of Markham through November 28, 2021.

WORK IN GTA21:

Double Gazebo (MOCA), 2021

Painted steel and wood