VANCOUVER — Jesse Brillon (Haida) is one of today’s greatest living First Nations artists. His matchless metalwork takes center stage in a small show at Vancouver’s Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, The Art of Dimension. Despite the artist’s mesmerizing work, this show (which also features Marlo Wylie Brillon) has predictably slipped under the radar of most art publications. The art world is missing out.
Terms like First Nations, Indigenous, or American Indian are important but they can be limiting when they group diverse cultures under one umbrella. Brillon carries on the unique artistic traditions of the Haida people who have long resided in Haida Gwaii, a small archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia. He breathes life into each piece of metal he crafts, conjuring sacred animals and preserving the legends of his people.
What makes his work so impressive? Look closely as the nostrils flare on his small shark bracelet and the eyes gaze outward with a piercing intensity. Notice the teeth grit, the brows raise. Intricate sets of rippling lines frame these expressions, like the ripples from rocks skipping across a pond of molten silver.
“I’ve been a commercial fisherman my entire life and I’ve had several encounters with orcas,” the artist explained in an interview with Hyperallergic. After catching several hauls of fish despite the hungry killer whales, Brillon saved up enough money to buy the gold to create his exquisite “Killer Whale” pendant. The orca’s exceptional three-dimensionality is a result of the technically demanding repoussé technique, which Brillon patiently carries out. This technique entails hitting the gold from the backside with a tiny hammer, forcing it to protrude. The spine, tail, fins, teeth, and eyes all dynamically rise up. The intricacies of metalworking techniques may not be widely known, but Brillon, who still spends much of his time as a fisherman, has mastered the daunting skill of repoussé.
Another stunning work, a gold bracelet depicting Kalga Jaad, the Ice Woman who led the Haida people south to a warmer climate. Her blue eyes are comprised of abalone shell inlay over the gold repoussé. This Haida myth memorializes the migration during the Ice Age and holds special significance to Brillon’s family and lineage. He created this bracelet for his sister to wear during her marriage ceremony to Kwakawaka‘wakw Chief Kwamxalagalis Andy Everson.
Other works in the show include a belt buckle, pendants, and additional bracelets. They are complemented by cedar sculptural works of Brillon’s niece and protégé, award-winning Haida and Cree artist Marlo Wylie Brillon. The precision of Jesse Brillon’s repoussé, the gleam of the metals, and the drama with which he endows these motifs sparkles in photographs but far more in person. As he told Hyperallergic, “My joy is to bring metal objects to life.”
The Art of Dimension: Jesse Brillon with Marlo Wylie Brillon continues at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art (639 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) through October 15. This version of the exhibition was curated by Beth Carter, Associate Curator at Bill Reid Gallery. The exhibition originated at the Haida Gwaii Museum, curated by Jisgang Nika Collison and SGaan Kwahagang James McGuire.
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