Miya Turnbull- Visual Artist
Self-Portrait Masks made by Miya Turnbull
Miya (pronounced Mee-yah) Turnbull is an artist based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada).
I work in many mediums including mask-making, photography, animation, video, performance, painting and textiles. This website will focus in on my current body of work with Self-Portrait Masks, Photography, Performance and Video.
Note: My textile and painting website www.thatcat.ca is closed until further notice so I can focus on mask making.
About my masks:
"My masks are three-dimensional self-portraits- a combination of photography, sculpture and collage. They are photo-realistic but often altered- for example, I might change the placement or even erase select facial features, or cut up and re-attach masks together in unusual combinations. I use photo elements within my work to create an uncanny resemblance within my masks, in addition to capturing images of myself wearing these facades.
I am drawing from the traditional uses of masks worn for disguise, transformation and protection, and as symbols for persona, self-image and identity. Ironically, I am placing my face on the front of the mask at the same time concealing my 'self' behind it. I can then manipulate how you see me. By keeping my image a constant, I am able to experiment with multiple iterations and further explore my bi-racial heritage, experiences, perceptions and inner world, making these visible, tangible and wearable."
CURRENT COLLABORATION PROJECT
LADDER 梯子
EMIKO AGATSUMA (BUTOH), MIYA TURNBULL (MASKS) AND GOZU MEZU (HITOSHI SUGIYAMA) (MUSIC)
APRIL-JUNE 2024
Japan-Canada International Exchange Project
日本カナダ国際文化交流
LADDER 梯子
Collaboration by Emiko Agatsuma and Miya Turnbull
Music by Gozu Mezu (Hitoshi Sugiyama)
The purpose of "Ladder" is to explore important themes of cultural identity, immigration, and generational differences through the history of Japanese Canadians. The project aims to shed light on overlooked history, learn from each other, and create an innovative performance. The interactive creation between mask art by Miya Turnbull and Butoh dance by Emiko Agatsuma can contribute to a more diverse and inclusive outlook on the arts. This project will also promote cross-cultural understanding, respect, and collaboration with other fields of arts.
このプロジェクトは日系カナダ人の歴史を通して、文化的アイデンティティ、移民、世代間の違いといった重要なテーマを探求します。それによって見過ごされてきた歴史に光を当て、互いに学び合いながら革新的な作品を創り出すことを目的としています。Miyaによるお面のアートと我妻恵美子による舞踏が相互に作用する創作はより多様で包括的な芸術観に貢献し、異文化理解と尊重を促進します。また、歴史への新たなアプローチや他分野とのコラボレーションを通じて、芸術における新たな価値の創造を目指します。
Performances:
Dates and Times:
June 28th, 2024 (Friday) 7:30 pm (evening) + Artist Talk
June 29th, 2024 (Saturday) 2:00 pm (matinee) + Artist Talk
June 29th, 2024 (Saturday) 7:30 pm (evening)
*Doors open 30 mins before
Performance time: approximately 20 mins.
Venue: Bus Stop Theatre (2203 Gottingen St, Halifax, NS B3K 3B5)
Fee: $20 (General Admission), $5-10 discounts available
Artist Biographies:
Emiko Agatsuma is a versatile Japanese artist recognized for her role as a traditional Butoh dancer, choreographer, and as the long standing Artistic Director at AGAXART, a platform dedicated to nurturing Butoh talent in Japan and internationally.
www.agaxart.com and Instagram: @emiko.agatsuma
Miya Turnbull is a multi-disciplinary visual artist based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, NS). She is primarily a mask-maker, and new to her practice is performance. Miya is 3rd and 4th generation mixed Japanese Canadian and British Canadian.
Hitoshi Sugiyama was born and raised in Japan and is currently based in Edmonton, Alberta. He is a musician specializing in improvisation, ambient electronic music as well as Taiko (drum) and Shinobue (flute). He has released 2 albums under the name of Gozu Mezu: Homesick (2022) and Shogyomujo (2022).
https://t-a-i-l.ca/artists/gozu_mezu/index.html and Instagram: @gozu_mezu
Emiko is also offering Butoh Workshops:
In-person classes: Halifax, N.S.
＜Workshop Highlights＞
・Learn how to move your body based on Butoh basic training.
・Explore the background of Butoh movements and the connection between mind and body through imagination.
■ Schedule
April 20, 27, May 4, 11, 25 and June 15
3~5 PM each
*They are independent classes with different contents. It can be taken only one time, but it is recommended to take all 6 classes in a row.
■ Venue
Halifax Dance Studio
(1505 BARRINGTON STREET, HALIFAX, NS, B3J 3K5, CANADA)
■ Fee*
$30 CAD / 1 workshop
$50 CAD / 2 workshops
$150 CAD / 6 workshops
*If finances are a barrier to you, she is also offering Pay What You Can options
For more information about our project, workshops and performances please visit: https://www.agaxart.com/ladder
This project has been generously supported by the Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), Arts Nova Scotia (Support4Culture) and the Canada Council for the Arts/ Conseil des arts du Canada.
CURRENT GROUP EXHIBITION:
PULP
April 6th- July 27th, 2024
Nelson Museum, Archives and Gallery
Curated by Arin Fay
PULP is the latest iteration in a series of medium-centric group exhibitions, focused on a common theme – in this case, paper – that highlights each artist’s interpretation of the medium. PULP opens Friday, April 5 at the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery, and runs through July 27.
In the hands of artists from across Canada, the artworks that embody PULP speak to personal, regional, socio-political, and historic symbology; seen in the feminist forms of Gathie Falk and Badanna Zack, with an Indigenous perspective through the work of Edward Poitras, through the revolt and response of Mia Feuer, the masks of Miya Turnbull, and the poetic/historical approach of Susan Andrews Grace.
RECENT EXHIBITION:
Esker Foundation: Calgary, Alberta
"Like everything alive that we try to hold forever"
September 23rd - December 17th, 2023
Group exhibition featuring the artwork of Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Diane Borsato, Stephanie Dinkins, Bridget Moser, Sondra Perry, and Miya Turnbull
"Like everything alive that we try to hold forever" brings together seven artists whose works, in a broad sense, reflect ways that our human bodies exist in relation to non-human objects and the complex, interconnected ways that these objects, through their systemic collection, consumption, and contextualization, impact our understanding of self and others.
-Curated by Elizabeth Diggon, Naomi Potter and Shauna Thompson
Any of the photos seen on the wall behind my mask table are the work of Diane Borsatto
This exhibit is also in conjunction with "Care and Wear: Bodies Crafted for Harm and Healing" and is curated by Brendan Griebel and Jude Griebel, 2 brothers who are an anthropologist and visual artist respectively. They are showing selections from their collection of surrogate bodies from the Museum of Fear and Wonder based in Bergen, Alberta.
Photograph credit: Blaine Campbell
Audio walkthrough about my masks and origami
PUBLICATION:
Visual Arts News, Volume 44, Number 2, Fall 2022
So honoured to have my artwork on the cover of the latest issue of Visual Arts News, a magazine that explores contemporary art practices in Atlantic Canada, on the unceded and unsurrendered lands of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Inuit, Innu, and the Southern Inuit of NunatuKavut.
A beautiful article written by Clare Goulet, a local writer, poet and educator, is published on pages 21-25.
You can read the article here.
See more interviews/publications/features about Miya's work here
MINI-DOCS:
Behind the Mask: Miya Turnbull
Mini-doc showcasing my artwork, 3 min 37 sec.
Presented by Instagram's Fashion For Bank Robbers, January 2021.
Curated by Carina Shoshtary and edited by Kat Tolkovsky.
The first of a series of videos about mask-makers from around the world, entitled: Behind the Mask, launched on their new YouTube Channel.
Miya Turnbull: The Art Between
Mini-doc showcasing my artwork, 3 min 54 sec.
Presented by ArtSeen, December 2023
ArtSeen is a new digital platform showcasing artists and artist-run centres in Atlantic Canada, produced by ARTSPLACE Gallery, based in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Interview, video production and editing by Andrew Tolson.
COLLABORATIONS:
Photography (above) by Nanne Springer, 2023
Omote (面) is a collaboration between mask maker Miya Turnbull (Halifax, NS) and dance artist Shion Skye Carter (Vancouver, BC). We were brought together by Yume. Digital Dreams collaboration project presented by Tashme Productions in 2022, which united 14 Japanese Canadian artists together.
Article about our collaboration in The Nikkei Voice "Revealing Layers Within", May 2023
This project exists in several forms:
Short Film:
The film version (can be viewed here on YouTube) has screened at several film festivals including FIN (Atlantic International Film Festival, 2022), International Portrait Film Festival in Bulgaria (2022), Asian Arts: Environments of Resilience and Sustainability, Media Arts Exhibition (Korean Film Festival Canada/ Arts East-West) Dazibao Gallery in Montréal (2023) and Shifting Tides (Dance Films from Atlantic Canada, as part of IMPACTfest 2023) among other showings in galleries and venues in Canada and in Germany. Custom music made by Stefan Nazarevich (Vancouver, B.C.)
Live Performance:
We also developed Omote (面) into a live performance, Spring 2023, commissioned by CanAsian Dance Kickstart Program and co-presented by Tangente and Festival Accès Asie. This 20 min performance was supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Kinetic Studio in Halifax. We performed in Montréal May 6-9th, 2023 and Toronto May 12-14th, 2023. Dramaturgy provided by Julie Tamiko Manning (Montréal, QC). Custom music made by Stefan Nazarevich (Vancouver, B.C.) We also have plans to develop this into a full length piece to premiere in Vancouver, BC in 2025.
Art/Photo Book:
We had a photo session with Nanne Springer before the premiere of Omote (面) in Montréal and the results from that photoshoot, I made into a photo book, thanks to the 2023 Art & Photo Book Award by Booooooom.
You can order a copy here . Retail price is $30 USD (approx $40 CAD) plus shipping.
Custom Masks made for Allie X for upcoming album.
"Black Eye" music video premiered Oct 31st, 2023
Album cover and album art announced Nov 16th, 2023
GIRL WITH NO FACE: release date: Feb 23rd, 2024
Read Rolling Stone article here featuring images with my masks
Photography by Marcus Cooper
HALIFAX PHOTOSHOOT:
Miya would like to acknowledge the support of Arts Nova Scotia. A huge thank you to Tanya Canam for her beautiful photography and help with this ambitious project (and this awesome gif!!) Thank you to Branislav Zvada for capturing the magic through video and amazing editing skills (and also some of the photos above are still frames from his video work). Thank you to all the participants who came to Point Pleasant Park- both for my 'trial run' and the big photoshoot!
4 of my masks travelled to France to be used in the short film: Nô Feminist
Directed by: Aïssa Maïga
Co-written by Aïssa Maïga and Boulomsouk Svadphaiphane
Produced by: Talents Adami Cinéma 2022 and De l’Autre Côté du Périph’
Premiered at the 75th International Cannes Film Festival, May 24th, 2022 and on France TV (2)
Viewable through Talents Adami Cinéma website (use password adami2022)
It was filmed in the theatre within the Familistère de Guise landmark, in France
Cast includes: Aksel Carrez, Coline Rage, Selena Diouf and Yoshi Oida
Beautiful costumes designed by Liputa Swagga
Summary:
"Gloria, Lili and Amir only have a few days to master a Noh play. The troupe of actors must juggle between sexist remonstrances, text changes and strange noises that echo on the stage. But revelations about the famous director and author of the play will further upset the rehearsals."
SOLO EXHIBITION:
Miya Turnbull: Inward, Outwards
Solo Exhibition
Acadia University Art Gallery
Wolfville, NS
Nov 12th, 2022 - Feb 7th, 2023
Curated by Dr. Laurie Dalton
PRESS:
Vogue Thailand
Article written by Nattanam Waiyahong, Nov 11th, 2021
Read the article here- translated to English through Google Translate.
Art Reveal Magazine (Germany)
Issue #59, May 2021
Featured Artist - Cover Art and Interview
I was also the cover and featured artist in MASKS Literary Magazine, Issue #2 (Fall 2021) which is an independent, non-profit literary magazine, published in partnership with the Columbia College Chicago Library and the Aesthetics of Research Program.
The Making of Nocturne 2021: LIMINAL
Video made by: Only Issue a full-service independent film house based on the east coast of Canada,
with additional footage provided by filmmakers from Atlantic Film Cooperative.
Halifax's Nocturne: Art at Night Festival featured the work of over 100 artists, curated by Liliona Quarmyne.
I had masks, photos and projections on display at the MacPhee Centre for Learning in Dartmouth, NS, for a Beacon Project and I also had a series of Inside Out masks on display at the Halifax Central Library as a Community Project.
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I often get asked how I got into mask making:
"I began making these "Photo-Masks", which is what I call this technique, during my Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, in the late '90's. I was taking several different classes in printmaking, photography, sculpture and painting and I was also taking anthropology, biology and psychology. At one point the drama department was offering a mask making class, which is where I learned how to make a plaster cast of my face and make lightweight papier-mâché masks. In my 3rd year, I had an independent open studio to work on my own and all these things came together and I made my first Photo-Mask.
I started focusing in on a series working specifically with Self-Portrait Masks, starting in 2005, thanks to a Creation Grant from Arts Nova Scotia. There was a 10 year gap in my practise while focussing on my family but I have returned full time again for the past couple of years, thanks to an invitation to show my masks at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Gallery in Toronto, Ontario in 2019, which got me back into the studio. I now have over 100 masks in my collection and continue to develop and expand this work, including working with portraiture and performing with the masks."
READ MORE ABOUT MY WORK IN MY ARTIST STATEMENT AND MY BIO
SEE MORE ARTWORK:
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I was one of 3 mask makers interviewed by Dr. Nataliya Tchermalykh (@amstramgram), a Social Anthropologist, from the University of Geneva. She recently presented her research about our work to the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) Conference in Visual Anthropology that is part of the RAI Film Festival, normally held in Bristol (UK) but was online this year due to Covid. The Film Festival ran from March 19-28th, 2021 and included a Panel Discussion on March 25th, 2021.
I am so honoured to be included in her research. Other mask makers that were interviewed were Mammu Rauhala from Finland and Liuba Malikova from Ukraine.
Her paper is called “A Mask of One’s Own” and in Dr. Tchermalykh’s words, "This paper uses an anthropological lens to make sense of the expanding artistic creativity, related to hygienic masks and other face-covering devices in the times of Covid-19 in relation to other social meanings attributed to these objects.”
I acknowledge and am grateful for the support of Arts Nova Scotia and the Canada Council for the Arts
