NATION
Anishnaabe

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jay Soule is a multimedia Indigenous artist from the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation (Deshkaan Ziibing Anishinaabeg), located southwest of London, Ontario. Adopted at the age of five, Jay was separated from his biological mother and grew up outside his original community. He is considered part of the Sixties Scoop, a period when Indigenous children were removed from their families and assimilated into non-Indigenous households.

Jay now primarily operates in Toronto as an artist under the name “Chippewar,” which represents the contentious relationship between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the government since colonization. Chippewar also underscores the enduring significance of the warrior tradition within Indigenous cultures of North America.

The artist has participated in numerous exhibitions, including the Artist Project Contemporary Art Fair for several years, and his “Indigenous Movie Monsters” exhibition arrived in Montreal in 2016, presented by Sacred Fire Productions in 2023 under the name “Mad subversive”. His recent projects have garnered significant attention, such as his installation depicting Indigenous genocide with a mound of buffalo skulls in Toronto (2021). Jay is also participating in the 2024 Artist Project Toronto.

In addition to painting, Jay is a clothing designer known for politically and socially engaged messages, showcasing his work at pow-wows from spring to fall. He is also a professional piercer and tattoo artist and has operated his own studio in Toronto’s West Queen district since 2005.