03/30/2026
Thank you to everyone who has been visiting and spending time with our current exhibition, ‘Cheryl L’Hirondelle: where the voice touches (((acts, utterances, transmissions for freedom))).’
Born in Alberta with family ties to Papaschase First Nation and Kikino Metis Settlement, the artist’s practice is grounded in nēhiyawēwin (Cree language) as the sounding of nêhiyawin (Cree worldview).
Often prioritizing modes of reception that run counter to the constraints of the white cube, the artist’s works in net.art, socially engaged practice, and performance underscore L’Hirondelle’s commitment to both her own artistic freedom and to a nēhiyawin understanding of freedom, where one’s self-responsibility moves in tandem with self-determination.
The exhibition is co-curated by Tarah Hogue and Jacqueline Bell and continues at Walter Phillips Gallery until June 21.
📷 All images: Installation view, ‘Cheryl L’Hirondelle: where the voice touches (((acts, utterances, transmissions for freedom))),’ Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, 2026. Photographer: Rita Taylor. Courtesy of Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
1: From left to right: Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘nīpawiwin: nanāskomowin ēkwa sohkēyimitowin ohci, sɬχil’əx,’ with Christie Lee Charles, 2020, courtesy of the artist; Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘nīpawiwin: nanāskomowin ēkwa sohkēyimitowin ohci,’ untitled, with Kanonhysyonne (Janice Hill), 2018, courtesy of the artist; Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘nīpawiwin: nanāskomowin ēkwa sohkēyimitowin ohci, Îyâmnathka,’ with Duane Mark, 2026, courtesy of the artist; and Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘uronndnland (wapahta ōma iskonikan askiy),’ 2004–2012, collection of MacKenzie Art Gallery, University of Regina Collection, 2015, purchased with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program 2015-001.
2: From left to right: Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘ēkaya-pāhkāci – Don’t Freeze Up v2,’ 2019, Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, purchased with funds from the Soper Endowment; and Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘nīpawiwin: nanāskomowin ēkwa sohkēyimitowin ohci, Îyâmnathka,’ with Duane Mark, 2026, courtesy of the artist.
3: From left to right: Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘Here I Am (Bless My Mouth),’ 2013, Indigenous Art Collection, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada; Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘NDNSPAM.com,’ 2012, restored 2025, courtesy of the artist; Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘nikamon ohci askiy (songs because of the land),’ 2008, restored 2023, courtesy of the artist; and Cheryl L’Hirondelle, ‘ēkaya-pāhkāci – Don’t Freeze Up v2,’ 2019, Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, purchased with funds from the Soper Endowment.
