NADYA KWANDIBENS - CONCRETE INDIANS

By Cece Scott

Nadya Kwandibens’ photographic intent is twofold: to empower Indigenous peoples through portraiture, and to inform non-Indigenous people about both the important historical role Indigenous peoples have played and their integral role in Canada’s moving forward. The foundation and vision of Kwandibens’ company Red Works Photography is centred on Indigenous empowerment.

While her personal work is often captured in black and white, Red Works sessions are usually photographed in vibrant colour to mirror the beauty of Indigenous people.

The contrast between the stereotypical black and white images of Indigenous people and Kwandibens’ vibrant compositions acts as a challenge and a photographic bridge between the cliché of history and the narratives of the future.

Kwandibens’ open call series Concrete Indians is a collection of portraits that she hopes will spark a ubiquitous and powerful interest in learning more about Indigenous people. The series, which began in 2008, is named after a memory Kwandibens has of elders who would call the young people leaving the community to go to neighbouring cities, Concrete Indians.

“For this series, I sent out an email to friends and supporters asking them to send me portraiture session ideas that expressed how living in urban centres affects their Indigenous identity,” Kwandibens says. “The response was overwhelming. I started photographing portraits within days of sending the initial email. Concrete Indians is an ongoing open call series; none of the portraits in the series were my idea. I continue to receive emails from Indigenous people all over Canada and the United States, sending their ideas, wanting to be a part of the series. Many portraits are of people in full or partial traditional regalia at major recognizable intersections in their cities; others are portraits that convey unity and solidarity; all are assertions of the strength of Indigenous culture and identity through acts of resistance by reclaiming space.”

Kwandibens was also involved in documenting Idle No More events in Ottawa when the movement started in December 2012 and January 2013. “The Idle No More coverage was documentary photography at its most challenging for me, because it was the first time I’d ever photographed anything like it. I had to anticipate where the crowd was moving, when the best time was to run ahead, or when to climb a snowbank for a higher overall shot,” Kwandibens says. Along with a keen sense of awareness of what was happening and a prescience of what was ahead, Kwandibens also had to execute her shots quickly because the crowd was on the move and lens changes were a constant.

Kwandibens’ commitment to Indigenous empowerment also extends to Aboriginal youth. In the workshops she gives across Canada, Kwandibens impresses upon youth that they should never be afraid to tell their own stories and share their perspectives. “Indigenous youth need to know they are valued, that their stories can ignite meaningful dialogue. They need to understand that they have much to offer to their own communities and society-at-large as they become our Nations’ future leaders,” Kwandibens says.

While documentary photography is a mainstay for Kwandibens, her photographic portfolio also includes portraiture, events, and promotional work. Because music is such an essential part of Kwandibens’ life, she loves to shoot concert photography. “It is a real treat, creatively, because that is when I feel completely in my element,” she says.

Kwandibens believes photographers who want to give back to society on a socio-political platform should research, understand, and fully commit to the amplification of the issue(s) that they want to highlight, which means bringing attention to the truth, however uncomfortable that process may be.

Kwandibens’ upcoming project, part of her latest series emergence, will focus on the voices of Indigenous womyn and the LGBTQ2S community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, two-spirit) about the current issues that First Nations people face not only within their respective home territories, but across the country.

“It will be a series of informal dialogues that I’ll photograph, along with a video team. I’m currently researching ways to create virtual reality video, plus using the audio dialogues for music remixes and/or soundscapes for the website component and future exhibitions. I will also be in training this year, learning how to edit film and video.”

While Kwandibens’s past work is timeless in that it stands as a strong photographic statement from an Indigenous person’s perspective, we look forward to seeing her new work continue the conversation in a new way.