In her first museum solo exhibition, Hamilton-based artist Alex Jacobs-Blum (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ/ German) uses photography and video to explore themes of continuity and legacy embedded in the ancestral knowledge within her body.
As part of her artmaking process, Jacobs-Blum immerses herself in Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) homelands, situated around one of the Finger Lakes in present-day upstate New York. There, she embodies Hodinöhsö:ni’ women across generations, connecting deeply with Creation. By documenting her presence in the landscape, she navigates historical narratives, displacement, responsibility, and the shaping of new futures.
On a journey of reclamation rooted in resilience, she confronts the intergenerational impact of displacement and trauma, exploring how to grieve in a way that honours healing and renewal.
“From the depths of my body, the cosmos unfurl—starlight courses through veins held by ancestral presence from within. Our bodies, formed from clay and moonlight, exist as celestial entities in a cycle of (re)awakening. My journey intertwines with that of my Ancestors, traversing across time and space, feeling their resonance on Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ homelands.
My soul is a traveller of many lifetimes. I greet myself back at the beginning of my journey, but stronger. Embodied echoes of knowledge stir from within, returning to my medicines.
As the Ancestors bear witness, we shed collective tears born from generations of grief and loss. The land they once nurtured has been uprooted and laid to waste, leaving our spirits shattered and our languages silenced—yet—like the moon orbiting the Earth, we continue. The tides ebb and flow within feminine bodies, ensuring continuous rebirth and regeneration.”
Alex Jacobs-Blum, Grieving for my Ancestors, 2021, digital photograph, Courtesy of the Artist
Alex Jacobs-Blum, Moving like Memory, 2023, digital photograph, Courtesy of the Artist
PLEASE NOTE: Admission to the AGH is free for all Indigenous peoples.
Alex Jacobs-Blum (she/her) is a Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ (Cayuga) and German visual artist and curator living in Hamilton, ON. Her research focuses on Indigenous futurities and accessing embodied Ancestral Hodinöhsö:ni’ knowledge. The core of her practice and methodology is a strong foundation in community building, fostering relationships, empowering youth, and Indigenizing institutional spaces. Her creative process is rooted in storytelling and challenging hierarchical power structures. Alex endeavours to facilitate transformative change infused with love and care.
Alex Jacobs-Blum received a Bachelor of Photography at Sheridan College in 2015, where she was awarded the Canon Award of Excellence for Narrative Photography. Her artistic work has been exhibited at the University of Ottawa, Centre[3] for Artistic + Social Practice, Woodland Cultural Centre, Critical Distance Centre for Curators, and most recently in a group exhibition at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery November 18th, 2023 – April 7th, 2024. She is a member of the Bawaadan Collective.
Feature Image:
Alex Jacobs-Blum
Moving like Memory, 2023
digital photograph
Header Image:
Alex Jacobs-Blum
Echoes from the Stars, 2023
digital photograph
