Guidance

Photo: of an art installation called Guidance
Vancouver City Centre

Guidance

By kʷəlasəltən Mack Paul

Mack Paul, kʷəlasəltən, was raised in a strong family with traditional cultural teachings. Mack is a learner of and advocate for Musqueam’s ancestral language, hənqəminəm, and is able to practice their teachings as the protocol coordinator for Musqueam Administration. A self-taught visual artist, Mack specializes in digital design, with their artworks seen as painted and vinyl murals throughout the region with works commissioned by the Richmond Urgent Primary Care Clinic, Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services, and BC First Nations Justice Council, amongst others. This is their first commission for the City of Vancouver.

Owls have played a significant role in Mack’s life for as long as they can remember. In many Indigenous cultures, owls are often seen as messengers of death. While Mack’s grandmother honoured and respected this belief, she also taught Mack that an owl could simply be a messenger conveying important messages.

Owls are revered night hunters and guides, with the ability to help us see through darkness and the unknown. Their ability to navigate smoothly through space has resonated with Coast Salish two-spirited folk who navigate between masculine and feminine energies and are often guides within their communities or families. Moreover, this navigational skill reflects the experiences of contemporary Indigenous people who continuously move around in colonized and urban environments on their traditional territories.

This artwork was commissioned by the City of Vancouver Public Art Program in partnership with InTransit BC.