Wayward Arts

Underline was invited to curate and design an issue of the Wayward Arts series celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. The studio used the opportunity to interrogate the country’s often-glossed-over history and ongoing relationship with Indigenous people. On its surface, the issue appears to be a tribute to Canada’s majestic landscapes, courtesy of stunning photographs by Joanne Ratajczak. However, perforated lines on each spread invite the reader dig a little deeper. Once the pages are torn, the reader is confronted with a haunting poem by Nishnaabeg writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson—a poem that challenges Canadians’ presumption to ownership and use of the land. The poetry is paired with facts on issues ranging from disregard of treaty rights, to residential schools, lack of drinking water and inflated incarceration rates, all together issuing a challenge to the reader to reckon with the hidden history of Canada.

Client: Flash Reproductions
Photography: Joanne Ratajczak
Poetry: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson