NANITCH: Early Photographs of British Columbia from the Langmann Collection
NANITCH, meaning “to look and watch,” originates from Chinook Jargon, a trade language common in the Pacific Northwest. The exhibition explores the significant role of the camera in colonization and calls colonialist narratives of progress into question. NANITCH emphasizes the contradictions of settlement and asks viewers to look more closely at BC’s complex social and political history. The collection includes photographic albums documenting official land surveys, family portraits, industrial ventures, and Indigenous peoples and their displacement.
The exhibition showcases UBC Library’s Uno Langmann Family Collection of B.C. Photographs at Presentation House Gallery, and opens Tuesday March 30th, running until June 26th. An exhibition reception will take place Saturday April 16th at 7:30pm.
For more information, see the UBC Library Media Release “Exhibition at Presentation House Gallery Showcases Historic Collection of Early BC Photographs for the First Time,” (Mar 15).
Media coverage of the exhibition:
- Presentation House Gallery showcases Historic Collection of Early BC Photographs for the First Time – Galleries West (March 21, 2016) – http://www.gallerieswest.ca/blogs-and-buzz/presentation-house-gallery-showcases-historic-collection-of-/
- 卑詩舊照片展月底北溫開鑼150幅精品揭百年歷史變遷 – Ming Pao Daily News (March 18, 2016) – http://www.mingpaocanada.com/van/htm/News/20160318/vas2_r.htm
- New Photography Exhibition depicts BC’s History (March 18, 2016) – http://604now.com/2016/03/18/photography-exhibition-depicts-british-columbias-history/
- The Birth of British Columbia in Photos – Vancouver Magazine (March 17, 2016) – http://vanmag.com/city/the-birth-of-british-columbia-in-photos/