I pushed through the doors of the Creative and Critical Studies Building, took a left turn into the FINA gallery, and was welcomed by two red sculptures in a serene white space. I was mesmerized by this authoritative artwork created by the emerging Syilx artist, Taylor Baptiste.
During January 9–22, 2025, UBC Okanagan Gallery hosted the exhibition q̓ayisxn – Off the Rocks at the FINA Gallery space. It featured two of Baptiste’s recent works: How Turtle Set the Animal People Free (2023) and Flight of Union (2024). This exhibition was curated by UBC Okanagan Gallery Curator, Dr. Stacey Koosel, and Curatorial Assistant, Ryan Trafananko.
“We’re really thankful for the opportunity to work with Taylor,” said Trafananko. He noted Baptiste’s creativity in setting up the exhibition. With Flight of Union, which involved a sculpture spinning mid-air, he remembers her getting up on a ladder and carefully adjusting the light to produce shadows on the floor. The result was a beautiful moment in nature immortalized: two eagles locking talons in their mating ritual, spiraling in the sky before hitting the ground and separating.
Taylor Baptiste (she/her) comes from the Osoyoos Indian Band of the Okanagan Nation. She recently graduated from Emily Carr University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. The making of her two sculptures traces back to when she began her degree. Studying in Vancouver during the pandemic, a wave of homesickness pushed Baptiste to reflect on how she could stay connected to the Okanagan.
“Our ancestors didn’t have Apple pencils,” giggled Baptiste. Returning to her roots, she turned off her iPad and started fingerpainting.
First, Baptiste used Okanagan-based red ochre pigment to paint pictographs representing her Nation’s stories. She then transferred photos of the pictographs into digital art programming and sourced materials like metal and a disco ball motor, using technology and sculpture to produce life-size versions of the pictographs. In doing this, she has projected stories from her culture into three-dimensional space.
Pictography is a traditional Indigenous practice. It is a way of mark-making that is precious to numerous Nations in the Okanagan. However, many settlers are unaware of their monumental value. Baptiste once witnessed settlers vandalizing pictographs in her hometown. “They need to be protected and respected,” urged Baptiste. Now she uses her art to inform the public about pictographs and to ensure their protection in the future.
Baptiste describes art as a place of gathering where conversations happen. While there are certain stories in her Nation that remain private, How Turtle Set the Animal People Free is one that her Nation has agreed can be shared publicly.
By turning that pictograph into a sculpture larger than the human body, Baptiste visually communicates the story’s significance. In practicing and sharing art, she finds an absence of barriers between cultures.
Having just moved back to Osoyoos, Baptiste is excited to continue her art practice in the presence of her land and community. She is eager to learn and experiment, specifically with expressing the ideas of the Okanagan Plant and Animal People through contemporary art.
The term ‘artist’ was once a “big scary title” for Baptiste, but she has gradually grown comfortable with it. She has decided that “it just means I live my life in a way of practicing [art],” taking initiative to define that title according to her way of self-expression.
Participating in the Indigenous Art Intensive artist residency program was an important part of Baptiste’s artistic journey. It was this program that springboarded her exhibition. Organized by UBC Okanagan Gallery, the program gathers Indigenous artists from across Canada to create art within the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies (FCCS). Additionally, participating artists give workshops and lectures to UBCO students and the general public.
UBC Okanagan Gallery started in 2020 with the mandate of providing exhibition opportunities for contemporary Indigenous artists, especially in the Okanagan and British Columbia. In addition to the Indigenous Art Intensive program, it also manages the campus public art collection and produces professional artist exhibitions, programming and workshops.
FINA Gallery is managed by FCCS and features student artwork throughout the academic year, while UBC Okanagan Gallery produces professional exhibits in that space twice a year.
To find out more about this exhibition and UBC Okanagan Gallery, there are abundant resources online. The UBC Okanagan Gallery official website provides information on their exhibitions, programming, and public art collection. You can also visit the gallery’s Instagram page to watch videos produced by student gallery assistants, including an interview with Baptiste. A video of Baptiste’s artist talk will soon also be uploaded to Youtube.
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