The Language that Lies Between


On October 25th, 2022, a collaborative mural by Niap (Nancy Saunders) and Olinda Reshijabe Silvano from Lima, Peru was unveiled on the wall of Kerr Hall West at Toronto Metropolitan University.  

Curated by Gerald McMaster, the 12-by-8-meter mural titled “Paisajes de Nosotros (Landscape of Us)” is part of the multi-stage Arctic/Amazon project coordinated by Wapatah: Centre for Indigenous Visual Knowledge and Gerald McMaster. Through visual strategies including bold graphics and meaningful colours, the mural brings together Arctic and Amazonian traditions and cultural legacies on a massive scale.  

Earlier in October, Feheley Fine Arts hosted a talk between Niap and Silvano. The two artists shared the stage of Centre Space in front of many friends of the gallery, Wapatah, and members of the Toronto arts community including McMaster, and Paul Roth, Director of the Image Centre. Joined by her family, Silvano sang an Indigenous Peruvian song, and spoke at length of her heritage and creative process. Niap and Silvano had been working collaboratively on the mural during the week-long  

Later in the evening, Pat Feheley was gifted a necklace by Silvano and her family.  The mural unveiling and additional programming accompanies the exhibition Arctic/Amazon, which was on view at The Power Plant until December 31st, 2022.