Manuel Axel Strain taps childlike wonder and Indigenous knowledge at the Polygon Gallery

Family photos, pictographs, and landscapes interweave in xʷəlməxʷ child

By Emma Jeffrey

Tracey Strain/Eustache, Eric Strain, Elliy-May Eustache, from the Polygon Gallery’s Manuel Axel Strain: xʷəlməxʷ child.

Installation shot of Manuel Axel Strain: xʷəlməxʷ child. Photo by Akeem-Nermo

The Polygon Gallery presents Manuel Axel Strain: xʷəlməxʷ child until May 11

MANUEL AXEL STRAIN explores family bonds and a sense of belonging from the perspective of childhood nostalgia in the new exhibit called xʷəlməxʷ child, at The Polygon Gallery.

Through vivid paintings that morph into pictographs set against photographic backdrops, the 2-Spirit artist of xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw, and Syilx descent offers a vision that suspends ordinary reality. Their work also questions conventional divides, such as linear time and interpersonal relations. 

An oversized table dominates the centre of the gallery space, covered with juvenile drawings in crayon and marker, reminiscent of similar drawings on Strain’s childhood bunk bed, which played a pivotal role in shaping their artistic practice. In their speech at the exhibit opening, Strain shared how their parents encouraged their creative freedom in the same way, allowing them to draw on their childhood bed and bedroom walls. 

Strain’s familial and interpersonal bonds are at the heart of this show curated by Elliott Ramsey: the walls of the gallery are adorned with painted portraits of Strain’s family and friends alongside xʷməθkʷəyəm landscapes, overlaid with vivid crayon-like imagery inspired by Salish pictographs. Strain also superimposes these pictographic forms, masklike, over the faces of children in family photos, such as Tracey Strain/Eustache, Eric Strain, Elliy-May Eustache, reinvigorating ancient tradition within modern medium and context. 

Installation shot of Manuel Axel Strain: xʷəlməxʷ child. Photo by Akeem-Nermo

Each wall of the gallery features a landscape representing the sea, sky, and land—distinct landmarks of the artist’s homelands. 

“I view all of our relatives as family,” Strain said at the gallery opening, referring to the importance of representing both human and natural connections within the exhibit. “So when we look at a tree, or all the different plants, or even the water or the air, we see those as family too, and we cherish and value them just as much.” 

Through this imagery, Strain blends xʷməθkʷəyəm, Secwépemc, and Syilx knowledge systems with Western psychology to envision a child's perspective on the world, one that exists beyond traditional boundaries. Through their art, they invite viewers to reconsider how we perceive the world and our place within it.  

Installation shot of Manuel Axel Strain: xʷəlməxʷ child. Photo by Akeem-Nermo

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