Organized and circulated by The Rooms (St. John’s, NL). With support from the Canada Council for the Arts.  

Curated by Jenelle Duval 

Weljesi — a feeling of contentment and joy,
often accompanied by laughter, that acknowledges
the importance of relationships and interconnectedness. 

Weljesi marks the first major survey of Jerry Evans’ iconic prints, paintings, projections and video portraiture. One of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most significant and beloved visual artists, Evans has been dedicated to the preservation, reclamation and continued growth of Indigenous communities across this province for more than 30 years. His generosity of knowledge, deep respect for his heritage and community, and his constantly evolving, engaging contemporary practice are fundamental to the art history of Canada.  

Installation View of Jerry Evans: Weljesi (2023). Courtesy of The Rooms.

Questioning the very format of the traditional retrospective, this exhibition is rooted in Indigenous concepts of cyclical time, storytelling and beauty. It reveals how Evans’ works are in constant movement, as they align with his expanding Indigenous worldviews and act as a focal point for life and community.  

This exhibition is accompanied by a full-colour catalogue with essays by Jordan Bennett, Jenelle Duval and Dr. Pam Hall

About the Curator

Jenelle Duval is a Mi’kmaw woman from Seal Rocks, NL, who currently lives and is working in St. John’s as an Advisor in media and content. She has been creating artistic spaces and opportunities for community members and art professionals since 2012. 

About the Artist 

Jerry Evans, a Master Printer and multi-media artist of Mi’kmaq and settler ancestry, has been making and sharing his art and identity—on paper, skin, leather, and with light—since the 1980s. Through his work and life, Evans continues to seek connection to what was and, critically, to what is.    

To learn more about Jerry Evans: https://www.jerryevans.ca/ 

Wapniaq – First Light (2019). Nine-colour lithograph on paper (bon à tirer). Collection of the artist

 Quotes from Jerry:  

“I am a visual artist who has been exploring and visualizing my Mi’kmaw heritage and my own familial links to Ktaqmkuk for many years. I have used images, symbols, maps, and narratives as a painter, printmaker, and filmmaker, as well as as a way to explore my Mi’kmaw heritage and share it in my work.” 

 “My personal history is a part of the fabric of the history of Newfoundland that includes the 

first point of contact between settler and Indigenous communities, the extinction of a distinct 

culture (that of the Beothuk), colonization, assimilation and a recent degree of recognition 

of the Indigenous peoples in the region. I believe that artists, to a degree, create images 

that deal with their identity and my own work reflects an understanding of who I am.” 

– Jerry Evans