Good afternoon to each and everyone who comes by my new site. The heart has been heavy these days and my level of inspiration has certainly been affected by the recent discoveries around the genocide of my people at the hands of Canada and the Christian churches. I find it very challenging to share and stay in the loop on other things besides the atrocities we are experiencing and looking for ways to heal and try to find some peace.
I recently discovered the new “Official Morrisseau” website and spent some time going over the information found on it and the presentation of that information. There are quite a few “holes” around it and I will go into exact detail on what those “holes” are. It definitely appears as though much like Canada is trying to hide their past mistakes, this website and whoever is running it is definitely trying to hide certain facts and truths as well.
First off, in reviewing this website, they give you absolutely nothing in who the estate of Norval Morrisseau actually is. Who are the people behind this website? When it comes to VIP treatment at the site (I call bullshit on that) who are they? The decision makers on authenticating your paintings that you upload to the site, who are they? What is their knowledge and experience? Is it the estate itself?
They proudly announce how Norval Morrisseau is the “only” native artist to have a solo exhibition at the national gallery of Canada but that already is not true. The legendary Daphne Odjig was the second native artist to have held a solo exhibition there in 2009. If your going to claim official this or official that, get the information right. This misleads the art lover, buyer and collector. It misleads everyone really. I feel super sceptical when the Information being presented doesn’t line up with the facts. That’s been the whole problem around Morrisseau.
First - Carmen Robertson and the NMHS were too scared and afraid along with the estate of Norval Morrisseau to get directly involved in what it really took, to stand up and truly begin to set the record straight. That tireless effort was produced mainly by me, Ritchie Sinclair and John Zemanovich. It was only later that people like Dallas Thompson, Kevin hearn, jonathan summer, Tim Tait, Louise Thomas, Jessica Wilson of Westerkirk, Greg hill at the national gallery, Gerald McMaster and a few others who had hopped on board.
Secondly - While the estate (Gabe and michelle Vadas minus Morrisseaus children at that time) and academics were pinning their hopes on the R.C.M.P. investigation, and unfortunately for Ritchie Sinclair he became the target of the other side, mainly because of the website: Morrisseau.com, this was when things changed. It was when things were looking pretty dark for us that the tide began to shift. Around this time 2010 to 2013 Dallas Thompson came into my life. And through us working together, his testimony and experiences regarding Lamont and his involvement in the fraud, this particular event had blown the doors off with regard to our investigations.
Third - At this time we were in full swing campaigning everywhere about these fakes and what a serious problem they were. Thousands of them. All garbage. Both John, Ritchie and myself were doing the brunt of all the work concerning protection of Norvals art. Not the estate, not the NMHS, not the RCMP, not the Morrisseau family foundation, not kinsmen Robinson gallery, not the government of Canada.
It was spearheaded by 2 true indigenous woodland artists in myself and my apprentice for 10 years in John Zemanovich, and the white Morrisseau protege from Thunder Bay in Ritchie Sinclair, all of us true believers in the spiritual power and energy in the art form, the woodland school of art, Anishanabe art, the Thunderbird school of shamanistic arts. (A Morrisseau vision)
Fourth - Give credit where credit is due. It’s embarrassing watching how people truly operate. For example how this site gives false credit to those like the NMHS and other notable academics as mentioned in regards to clarity and trust regarding the Morrisseau market? Bullshit. There wouldn’t be any clarity or investigation or anything of that nature if it wasn’t for the work being done between Dallas Thompson and I, the O.P.P. sexual assault unit and me coordinating those interviews between Lamont’s abuse survivors and the police. At this point jonathan summer was losing every court case and they had nowhere to turn. This was when he began representing kevin hearn of the Barenakedladies band.
That was when I posted something on Ritchie Sinclair’s website about Thunder Bay and that I had some new information about the severity of this art fraud. It was also during this time that my apprentice in John Zemanovich was elected to be on the board of the NMHS. To be truthful John was having doubts about being on the board, Ritchie Sinclair was pissed off that he wasn’t chosen and for me? I loved it because it gave me access to the NMHS database and what they had in there as “authentic paintings”. It doesn’t matter what anyone will have to say about that because for me, it has always been about protecting the legacy of Norval as he had asked me to back on 2005.
Fifth - If it wasn’t for these behind the scenes moves, little or nothing would’ve been accomplished. I flew to Thunder Bay on 4 different occasions and provided council and support for all the sexual assault survivors. No one else at that time even offered to help me. Not one. It was only a few years later that kevin hearn and John Zemanovich who made a significant contribution of their own support that helped out the cause as well.
I will say this: As my apprentice, John Zemanovich offered more support to me than anyone else. Both him and I did all the clarification in regards to what was in the NMHS database. We got rid of what was fake in that database. I can say because of that work we did, and not the academics on the board of the NMHS, that what was is in that database and the work being done since then, gives them clarity and awareness that none of them had before. That’s a guarantee that both me, John Zemanovich and I’ll agree that Ritchie Sinclair had also had a hand in.
I have emails from 14 years ago where the estate of Norval Morrisseau agreed that us 3 were the worlds top experts. It’s just the truth. That’s what became of our passion for Norval Morrisseau, our passion for the truth, for justice. We put ourselves out on the line every single day for almost 15 years. Any how at this point, it is imperative that the truth be told.
I’d be suspect right away when there is zero transparency yet expectations for you to confirm and be validated by whoever is running this site. It doesn’t feel safe and open nor does it feel inclusive, as Norval Morrisseaus art and legacy should make you feel. This fake ass VIP shit is just another scam in the art world. Dont fall for it. Behind it is a world of ego feeding bullshit and a pretend world of giving you an all exclusive tour in Morrisseau land. What’s behind that bullshit is direct access to your wallet. Rolling out the red carpet Like in Hollywood, trying to make you feel all special and all....lol.
Lame as fuck. I have clients from all over the world, I don’t make them jump through loopholes and tap dances. Show up as you are. My portal to my art is an all inclusive opportunity and experience. People are tired of some secret access bullshit. Don’t hide behind all this false razzle and dazzle. It bites and nobody really wants that anymore. People want truth, honesty and transparency. The circle should always be open. That should be the desire of every artist. Not some bozo behind a computer screen.
Another mistake this official Morrisseau site makes is in their clarity in using this book published by Kinsmen Robinson galleries and key porter books, the book: Travels to the house of invention. There is a wave of fakes that are not the black drybrush done out of toronto ont. by a fucked up guy we’ll call: P.C.
This subject matter came up with don Robinson, paul Robinson and John Newman about these particular fakes. It was witnessed one day when both my apprentice in John Zemanovich and myself made a special trip to KRG. They agreed that there would be a huge issue for them about those fakes. It would bankrupt them and utterly destroy them. That is the truth of what was said to both John and I. We had agreed that in the meantime while knowing that those P.C. fakes were a real problem, we had to put our energies towards solving those sex crimes that Gary lamont was responsible for, and going after the truth around the black drybrush shit because at that time, it was a bigger problem.
Still, those at KRG find themselves reluctant to be honest with themselves, and the many clients who bought those P.C. fakes being sourced from Yorkville area, maslak mcleod back in the late 1980s and 1990s. Those paintings are all misrepresentations of our culture as Anishanabe because they were forged by another native artist. I mean these fakes are just as bad as this forger can’t even get the legends right like windigo for example. It’s not fish, it’s beavers.
They are misrepresenting our culture. They are some of the worst examples of Norval Morrisseau art not only because their fake, but the legends are even being done wrong. Some of these examples can be found in travels to the house of invention. These plates were not shown to Norval. That information was confirmed by both gabe and michelle Vadas of the estate. That’s how those fakes got into the book. They can be found on page: 95, 97, 99, 101, 103, 105, 107, 109, 111, 113, 115, 117.
I also have a serious problem with don Robinson sneaking in his fake Morrisseau in the second book: return to the house of invention, page 147 of a P.C. fake titled: Self portrait - the artist as storyteller. It’s total garbage in my books. It doesn’t represent the truth about Norval Morrisseau art. It doesn’t represent the truth about my culture. It’s an out right fuckin lie...and that’s exactly what it is.
I’d like to also add about the reference being given in the above example by the book: professional native Indian artists inc. The group of seven, written/curated by michelle laVallee. There is a fake Morrisseau painting on page: 151 of that book titled: White mans curse. 1969? It’s garbage. The NMHS know it as well. Because Carmen Robertson had a photo of herself taken with that painting thinking it was a real Norval Morrisseau. She was corrected by both myself, John Zemanovich and Ritchie Sinclair. That’s a fact. KRG know this as well. They have a lot of wrongs they have to correct because that piece of shit painting titled white mans curse is also in travels to the house of invention on pg: 101 of that book. It’s very interesting how those fakes pop up everywhere around KRG.
It’s not by coincidence. It was a huge mistake to be taken by that garbage. They know it and more importantly, I fuckin know it. I am a guardian of this artform. Make no mistake about it. I have a very complete knowledge of these events and experiences. I lived them. This is the truth being told. To set the record straight because quite frankly the hardest truth I learned around this whole thing was that the colonizer has a lot of problems and issues around money, how they make it, acquire it and so forth. As we know, there is a lot of shady business in the art world. People like those at KRG are weak. They are too easy to corrupt. Too weak to speak up. Too weak period. I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with that operation over there. It’s embarrassing.
Any how, here is the example of that fake I just described which can be found in both of those books I mentioned. It’s garbage like this that needs to also be addressed. I would hope that any investigation that is going on would do the right thing and clean up the whole market. Otherwise, it will be an incomplete investigation. And that’s exactly how I feel about it. There are around 10 waves of fakes I’ve seen on the internet Over the years on various art auctions, shitty galleries, shitty dealers that are still trying to convince you, the art buyer that these fakes are legitimate. They are not.
For now I will continue to open up about the truth of my experience. There are still many unanswered questions surrounding the legacy of Norval Morrisseau. I want to see real ownership take place. Real accountability. I am here to definitely hold those responsible, accountable. It is my culture that needs protection, not that of the white mans crimes and misgivings. Colonialism ends with me. Assimilation ends here.
My hope is that Norval Morrisseau’s family and his children take ownership for their crimes. They were directly involved and need to seriously step up to the plate. I want to see KRG clean up their mess and their filthy lies. It’s gross how they behave and deceive people. Fuck your money...my culture and it’s truth deserves better than that. They should all be held accountable. The time for real truth is upon us. It’s time for the market to follow suit and rise to the occasion. And everyone else in it...
All my relations, MAJ
