Miya Turnbull- Visual Artist
Self-Portrait Masks made by Miya Turnbull
About me:
My name is Miya (pronounced Mee-yah) Turnbull (she/her), I am a multi-disciplinary visual artist based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) for over 20 years. I grew up as a farm kid near Onoway, Alberta (a small town NW of Edmonton) and attended the University of Lethbridge from 1995-1999 and graduated with a BFA in the year 2000.
I work in many different mediums including mask-making, photography, animation, video, performance, paintings and textiles. For the past several years, I have been focusing on making Self-Portraits, using my Photo-Mask technique to make life-like representations of my face. I often distort and manipulate my image in various ways, which I then wears as a 'false face', as a way to explore persona and identity, including my mixed Japanese Canadian/British Canadian ancestry.
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."
Longlisted for Sobey Art Award 2025
I am so thrilled to be one of 30 Canadian artists who are long-listed for this prestigious art award! Read more about each one and all their amazing practices on the website of the National Gallery of Canada
NEW WORK:
Photos, Masks and Video Stills from a Creation Grant I received from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society Fund to create new work in 2024 and 2025. I worked with musician Gozu Mezu (Hitoshi Sugiyama) who created custom music for 5 new short films featured below.
The Japanese Canadian Legacies Society Community Fund addresses the enduring intergenerational impact that government actions had on the community. This is in regards to the forced displacement from coastal BC as well as the internment that affected my family and over 20 000 Japanese Canadians during WWII. This BC Redress is aimed towards education, heritage, community, monument, seniors health & wellness, and anti-racism.
I gratefully acknowledge support from the Community Fund of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society
RECENT COLLABORATION PROJECT:
OMOTE (⾯) Live Performances
Photography (above) by Nanne Springer, 2023
Omote (面) is co-creation between Vancouver dance artist, Shion Skye Carter and Halifax mask maker, Miya Turnbull. By choreographing with hand-crafted papier-mâché masks of each of their faces, coming in myriad shapes and facial expressions, the artists explore their mixed Japanese Canadian heritage, collating and contrasting their personal experiences, while evoking the ritualistic nature of Japanese traditions such as the tea ceremony.
This performance challenges traditional ideas of beauty, while gestures and tableau articulate the Japanese concept of ‘honne’ (a person’s true feelings) and ‘tatemae’ (their public face). Omote (面) translates to both ‘surface/face’ and ‘mask’, and explores multitudes of layers of being and the self, manipulating what is revealed and what is hidden, honing in on the churning, transitory nature of identity.
We were brought together by Yume. Digital Dreams collaboration project presented by Tashme Productions in 2022, which united 14 Japanese Canadian artists together.
EASTERN CANADA PREMIERE: LIVE ART DANCE 2025
February 28, 8PM (SOLD OUT)
March 1, 2PM (SOLD OUT)
March 1, 8PM (SOLD OUT)
Bus Stop Theatre, HALIFAX, NS
REGISTER: ORIGAMI + MOVEMENT WORKSHOP BY MIYA + SHION: FEB 23rd, 2-4pm, PIER 21
WESTERN CANADA PREMIERE: VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL 2025
March 12 + 14, 7PM
Roundhouse Performance Centre, VANCOUVER, BC
VIDF
REGISTER: ORIGAMI + MOVEMENT WORKSHOP BY MIYA + SHION: MARCH 8TH, 12PM, Roundhouse Exhibition Hall-
MUSIC: Stefan Nazarevich (Vancouver, B.C.)
COSTUME DESIGN (KIMONO): Laura Fukumoto (Vancouver, B.C)
DRAMATURGY: Julie Tamiko Manning (Montréal, QC)
LIGHTING DESIGN: MacKenzie Cornfield (Halifax, NS) + Hina Nishioka (Vancouver, BC)
50 Minutes, No Intermission
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and Live Art Dance
This project also 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, Germany and China.
Past Performances:
We developed a 20 minute version of Omote (面) as a live performance, Spring 2023, commissioned by CanAsian Dance Kickstart Program and co-presented by Tangente and Festival Accès Asie. This 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.
Limited Edition 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.
Copies can be purchased across Canada at these Gallery Bookshops:
Burnaby, BC: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre Giftshop
Calgary, AB: Esker Foundation Gallery Bookshop
Toronto, ON: Shintani Gallery
Halifax, NS: EyeLevel Gallery Bookstore
PRESS:
"Omote (面) at Vancouver International Dance Festival", The Bulletin, Jan 2025
"OMOTE: A Melding of Artistic Expressions and Experiences", Nikkei Voice, Feb 2025
"Revealing Layers Within", Nikkei Voice, May 2023
RECENT SOLO EXHIBITION:
“Revealed”
Shintani Gallery
700 Lansdowne Ave, Toronto, ON
Oct 4th-27th, 2024
Opening reception: Friday, Oct 4th from 7:00-10:00pm
A solo exhibit by Miya Turnbull featuring self-portrait masks, sculptures and photographs
Origami Workshops:
Sunday afternoon, Oct 6th, 2024
3 sessions: 1-2pm, 2:30-3:30pm, 4-5pm
PRESS:
Article and Interview by Kelly Fleck, editor of Nikkei Voice, the Japanese Canadian National Newspaper
"Artist Miya Turnbull reveals the layers beneath in new solo exhibition", Oct 3rd, 2024
Thank you to the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society Community Fund for supporting this exhibit.
RECENT 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 (Butoh Dancer) and Miya Turnbull (Mask Artist)
Music by Gozu Mezu (Hitoshi Sugiyama)
"Ladder 梯子" explores layers of cultural identity, masking, Japanese imagery and connections of shared ancestry and memories. The project also researches and honours multiple generations through the history of the Japanese diaspora in Canada as experienced by Miya's maternal family. Emiko and Miya have been working together in a creative residency in Halifax, N.S. from April through to June to combine their artistic skills to create approximately a 30-40 minute performance. Hitoshi has been working remotely and in-person with Emiko and Miya, to create an ambient musical landscape also inspired by his Japanese and Canadian experiences, paired with live performances of Taiko drumming and Shinobue (Japanese flute)."Ladder 梯子" explores layers of cultural identity, masking, Japanese references and connections of shared ancestry and memories. The project also researches and honours multiple generations through the history of the Japanese diaspora in Canada as experienced by Miya's family, as well as folklore and imagery such as Yokai (supernatural entities) and Yūrei (ghosts). Emiko and Miya have been working together in a creative residency in Halifax, N.S. from April through to June to combine their artistic skills to create this performance. Hitoshi has been working remotely and in-person with Emiko and Miya, to create an ambient musical landscape also inspired by his Japanese and Canadian experiences, paired with live performances of Taiko drumming and Shinobue (Japanese flute).
Together during their creation residency, new masks of each performer have been created and inspired by the choreography, movement and music and in turn, the performance has been influenced and informed by Miya's masks in true collaboration form. This is just the beginning of their collaboration together. They hope to further expand and develop their project and showcase across Canada and Japan in the future.
Performances and Artist Talks happened June 28th (SOLD OUT)+ 29th (2 shows), 2024
in Halifax, NS at the Bus Stop Theatre.
Duration: 40 minutes
To watch a film version of the performance, please make a donation to the project and we will send you a link. See Emiko's website for details.
PRESS
Article and Interview:
“A Ladder Across the Globe: Collaborative Project Connects Canadian and Japanese Artist.”
Nikkei Voice, interview and article by Kelly Fleck. June 2024. Vol 38. No 5. Pages 9 and 15.
N.S Reviews:
Review of the Performance by Elissa Barnard, June 2024
Trailer of Performance Video
This project has been generously supported by the Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), Arts Nova Scotia (Support4Culture), Canada Council for the Arts/ Conseil des arts du Canada and Kinetic Studio (Halifax, NS)
Additional thanks to Prismatic Arts Festival, Dance Nova Scotia (DANSpace), the Japanese Society of Halifax and the Bus Stop Theatre.
RECENT GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
This Seems Personal
Dec 14th, 2024-April 13th, 2025
Confederation Centre Art Gallery
Charlottetown, PEI
Curated by Brandt Eisner
Opening Reception: Feb 1st, 2025
The show consists of seven Nova Scotian emerging artists, including Andrew Quon, Curtis Botham, Shauna MacLeod, Miya Turnbull, Lux Gow Habrich, Laura Kenney and Monique Silver.
Each piece of is a testament to the ways in which personal struggles and triumphs are shaped by and—in turn—shape the world around us. From intimate reflections on identity and belonging to poignant examinations of systemic injustices, the artworks on display serve as both mirrors and windows, reflecting our own experiences back to us while also offering glimpses into the lives of others.
PULP
April 6th- July 27th, 2024
Nelson Museum, Archives and Gallery
Nelson, BC
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.
To see exhibit photos please click here
ART CATALOGUE:
PULP Exhibition Catalogue. Text and curation by Arin Fay. Published by Nelson Museum, Archive & Gallery. Printed in Canada by Hall Printing, 2024. ISBN: 978-1-9990446-9-5.
ILLUSIVE MASKS
June 15-Sept 15, 2024
SEEWELL International Art Center
Fuzhou, China
Curated by Feng Boyi
So honoured to be a part of this group exhibit featuring many talented artists including Cindy Sherman (my hero when it comes to self-portraiture and masking)! This is my first exhibit in Asia so I’m really excited. I will be showing multiple video works.
PRESS links and more about the exhibit and all the artists:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/dR4CYCPWYqNMWsDJ-qFR0w
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YWwoY7iLxdJsq96Qe7e-JQ
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XwwoLQOnkQK19SjWS-6Pgg
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/emswVESDTtcYCGwHPXSoyA
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
"Expression Unmasked" was co-produced in partnership with Esker Foundation and Inside Out Theatre and directed by Ebony R. Gooden. The film was created in response to Miya Turnbull’s "Self-Portrait Masks," 2018-20 as part of "Like everything alive that we try to hold forever," 2023.
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.
CUSTOM MASKS:
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!
Nô Feminist Short Film
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 (at the time was called N.S. Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage). There was a 10 year gap in my practise while focussing on my family but I have returned full time again for the past several years, thanks to an invitation to show my masks at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Gallery in Toronto, Ontario in 2019, from curator Bryce Kanbara.. 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 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 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, the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society and the Canada Council for the Arts.
