JUNXIONS | Marco Muller and Zac Ironstand

JUNXIONS | Marco Muller & Zac Ironstand
April 4^th to 30^th, 2025

Curated by Justin Bear L’Arrivee
Exhibited in the Marvin Francis Media Gallery at Urban Shaman

Presented in partnership with the 2025 FLASH Photographic Festival 

Opening Reception –  First Friday, April 4^th, 2025 – 5-9 pm
Artist Talk: Tuesday, April 1st – 6–8 pm

Artist Talk Livestream link: https://youtube.com/live/L68cAkOEpfw?feature=share  

“…it is precisely in these banalities that the unhomely stirs, as the violence of a racialized society falls most enduringly on the details of life: where you can sit, or not; how you can live, or not; what you can learn, or not; who you can love, or not.”
― Homi K. Bhabha, The Location of Culture

JUNXIONS, curated by Justin Bear L’Arrivee, features work by Winnipeg Indigenous street artists Marco Muller (Super Empee) and Zac Ironstand. Drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s Third Space theory, the exhibition challenges perceptions of ‘urban decay’ by critically engaging with abandoned shopping carts and broken bus shelters. JUNXIONS critiques the colonial push to “clean up” neighborhoods, displacing people and erasing vibrant urban narratives – as seen and Winnipeg and throughout Canada in the name of urban development. The works offer an alternative perspective (a junction), enunciating the stories of those who occupy these spaces and celebrates hybrid urban indigenous ways-of-being.

The exhibition features Marco Muller’s cARTS series which explores abandoned shopping carts, inviting viewers to reflect on their abandonment and the lives of the people who left them. Alongside are photos of Zac Ironstand’s Bus Shack installations which incorporate orange ribbons, copper tea sets, and religious iconography into broken bus shelters. These works recognize the injustice and contemporary effects of residential schools while offering prayer for those who occupy these spaces.

JUNXIONS confronts the colonial desire for sanitized, static urban spaces, emphasizing instead the fluid, dynamic realities of Indigenous existence. By transforming Winnipeg’s discarded carts and shattered bus shelters into Third Spaces, Muller and Ironstand celebrate the resilience and sacredness of hybrid urban identities.

Marco Muller

Marco Muller, also known as Super-Empee, is a multimedia artist and emerging curator born in Winnipeg. He specializes in paintings, murals, photography, and printmaking, sharing his perspective on what it means to be a Cree artist navigating a colonial world. His inspiration stems from his surroundings, with Indigenous activism and the socio-political challenges faced by Indigenous communities and individuals significantly influencing his work. Marco’s upbringing was shaped by a lineage of matriarchal strength, being the son of a Cree mother who is a survivor of the residential school system from Pukatawagan First Nation, also known as Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (MCCN).

Zac Ironstand

Winnipeg-born and rooted in Valley River (Tootinaowaziibeeng), Zac Ironstand is a self-taught artist making his mark in the creative scene. Specializing in acrylics, aerosol, and tattoo work, Zac’s style is raw and authentic. Recently, he’s been branching out into installations, sewing, and upcycling clothing pushing his craft in new directions. Zac’s work is a reflection of his heritage and experiences, bringing something fresh and grounded to the art world.

Justin Bear L’Arrivee

Justin Bear L’Arrivee (he/him) is the Artistic Director at Urban Shaman gallery. He is of mixed Cree and Scottish ancestry from Peguis First Nation (Maternal) and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation (Paternal). He’s an arts administrator, facilitator, and community worker who’s passionate about revitalizing Indigenous ways of being through arts and culture. His practice is firmly rooted in community needs, and is deeply informed both by his work within the child-welfare & disability systems and in the artist-run centre sector.

Image credit: Marco Muller & Zac Ironstand, “Manwin,” 2019 (courtesy of the Gallery)