Indigenous student-artists craft belonging in Indigenous Symbols and Signifiers – The Ubyssey

Sept. 29, 2025

The Hatch Art Gallery’s newest installation, Indigenous Symbols and Signifiers, has an interactive component where visitors can write or draw on pieces of cloth and pin them around a question on the wall, which asks, “What symbols represent belonging in your culture?” Situated between large digital prints, paintings depicting birds and fishermen, laser-cut wooden shapes and framed beadwork, the web of intercultural symbols grows as visitors of different backgrounds add to it.

Showcasing the work of six artists, Indigenous Symbols and Signifiers launched on Sept. 17 and is open until Oct. 9, 2025. Born from a collaboration between the Faculty of Arts and the First Nations House of Learning, with funding from the UBC Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism Enhancement Fund, the exhibition’s call for artists asked students to visually represent symbols of belonging, cultural identity and traditional knowledge.

Read More: https://ubyssey.ca/culture/indigenous-student-artists-symbols-signifiers/