Large ice blocks with the name STONECHILD etched inside will be one of the first things people see when they enter the Remai Modern this February.
The rectangular sculpture, titled Freeze, is dedicated to 17-year-old Neil Stonechild.
It was a collaborative work between Rebecca Belmore and her partner, Osvaldo Yero.
“The work was originally made in 2006 for an art festival, which is called Nuit Blanche in Toronto,” said Belmore.
“We are pleased to have it here, because it feels like the work is coming home.”
Stonechild’s frozen body was found in a field in the northwest industrial area of Saskatoon in November 1990.
A 2004 inquiry concluded that two Saskatoon police officers, Larry Hartwig and Brad Senger, had Stonechild in their custody that night, and both lost their jobs.
Belmore said the sculpture is a memorial to Stonechild’s life and his death.
“We decided to keep it simple and just have his surname etched out of the blocks,” she said.
Belmore said although the concept is simple, ice being used as the material made the work meaningful.
“Over time, the work will melt and disappear.”
Freeze is part of the new exhibition at the Remai Modern, titled Rebecca Belmore: Facing the Monumental.
Two galleries on the third level of the museum are filled with more than 20 of Belmore’s works, including sculpture, video, photography and performance.
The show originally debuted at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in 2018.
“You are dealing with a lot of issues like murdered and missing Indigenous women, the history of colonization, water rights, lands rights, so these kinds of things the show grapples with, but always with hope and beauty,” said Wanda Nanibush, AGO Indigenous art curator.
Remai Modern is also incorporating live programs to give visitors the chance to discuss and learn more about the themes of the exhibition.
On Feb. 5, Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) Chief Troy Cooper will join Remai Modern’s Indigenous relations advisor, Lyndon Linklater, to discuss reconciliation in the era following the Stonechild Inquiry.
“The Neil Stonechild sculpture presents an important opportunity for discussion. The Saskatoon Police Service is committed to its continuing work building on positive relationships with the Indigenous community, work that has been ongoing for many years,” Cooper said in a statement.
“As an organization we believe that dialogue and a willingness to listen to community concerns is vital to success. It is important the SPS be part of that dialogue.”
The exhibition opens Feb. 1 and runs until May 5.
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