Jay Soule, working under the pseudonym "CHIPPEWAR," has been combining art and activism since the early 2010s. Using vivid colors, contemporary illustration techniques, and humor, Soule sheds light on topics like Residential Schools, the Doctrine of Discovery, and enduring Indigenous stereotypes. This exhibition brings together a selection of his posters satirizing blockbuster movie classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Back to the Future with the aim of exposing and criticizing the enduring legacy of colonialism in Canada.
Originally from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, located southwest of London, the Toronto-based artist began his artistic journey in tattooing and body piercing. His transition to painting, illustration, and political engagement coincided with the rise of Idle No More in 2012, an Indigenous-led grassroots movement against federal government policies diminishing the environmental rights and authority of Indigenous communities. His imagery appears on murals, billboards, posters, and even his own clothing lines.
Artist Bio
Jay Soule is a Toronto-based artist originally from the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. Soule is a painter, illustrator, tattoo artist, and clothing designer.
Image: Jay Soule (aka CHIPPEWAR), Maiingan Dynamite, 2020, acrylic on wood, Courtesy of the Artist