Lauren Crazybull
Self-Portrait, Oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches, 2021.
INTERVIEW:
Lauren Crazybull is a Niitsitapi and Dene with connections to Fort McKay First Nation, and a member of Kainai Nation. Crazybull’s practice focuses on painted portraiture, experimental mapmaking and immersive installation. Their background includes working with youth, radio programming and illustration. The purpose of the work they have done thus far has been to examine the function of colonialism in portraiture and other histories that aren’t always truthful representations of Indigenous existence. As such, Crazybull’s portraits describe Indigenous people as they appear to them. Through their work they celebrate nuanced experiences, and seek a sincere understanding of the many facets of Indigenous life.