An Exploration of Resilience and Resistance is about identity, culture, strength, vulnerability and love.

Witnessing different facets of people and how they explore themselves, I photograph my community of primarily BIPOC, queer, femme, trans and gender non-conforming kin to challenge pre-conceived notions of race, gender and sexuality.

My work touches on how we can become more empathic, empowered people despite the hardships that we have endured.

All images: Kali Spitzer
This article appears in Archer Magazine #20, the RESISTANCE issue – buy a copy here.

beyon wren moore, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
beyon wren moor (she/her) is two-spirit Nehiyaw from the Pimicikamac Nation. She is a tattoo artist and painter.

Cheyenne Rain LeGrande, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Cheyenne Rain LeGrande, Nehiyaw Isko from Bigstone Cree Nation.

Every photograph, every person, has a story to tell, and I am supporting them to tell these stories through their portrait. I invite the viewer to recognise the different sides of these stories, including the pain, but most of all, the person’s spirit and perseverance.

Too often, BIPOC and queer communities are not heard or seen as we experience ourselves in society. I am working to redress this by creating contemporary images of BIPOC and queer communities from an Indigenous perspective, supporting our society to shift away from narrow perspectives that often contribute to violence against womxn, trans and non-binary communities.

Arianna & Charlene, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Arianna Lauren, Tse’ta’sia and Quw’utsun Tribes. Charlene Johnny, Coast Salish artist of the Quw’utsun Tribes.

jaz whitford, 2021 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
jaz is an indigenous 2 spirit mixed media artist from unceded secwepemcúl’ecw.

I want to show the general public who we are today: to bring light to our stories and create a space for us to be seen and heard as we define ourselves, and make it clear how we want to be represented. This is the driving force behind An Exploration of Resilience and Resistance.

When I photograph an individual, I aim to create the most honest image of them. I believe that each image is a collaboration between the person I am photographing and myself I wouldn’t be able to create these images without trust, which is an essential element of my work. Each collaborative photography session gives a safe space for the individual to be seen, heard and represented in the way they want.

Kali Spitzer, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Kali Spitzer is a photographer living on the traditional unceded lands of the Tsleil-Waututh, Skxwú7mesh and Musqueam peoples. Kali is Kaska Dena from Daylu (Lower Post, British Columbia) on her father’s side and Jewish from Transylvania, Romania on her mother’s side.

Rebecca Poulin, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Rebecca Poulin is a white settler of Scottish and French descent. She is a queer woman who focuses on supporting artists and frontline organisations and community through writing and design.

Toonasa Jordana Luggi, 2023 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Toonasa Jordana Luggi is an Wet’suwet’en, Dakel h and German Indigiqueer living on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

There is another layer of urgency to my work, as I come from a generation that is hugely affected by residential schools and settler colonialism. We are in a race against time as we are losing many of our Elders, along with our stories, languages and cultures. It is a struggle for our generation and for those to come. The stories held in my photography acknowledge that we must remember to spend time listening to our Elders and learning from them.

This article appears in Archer Magazine #20, the RESISTANCE issue – buy a copy here.

As an Indigenous womxn existing today, I often feel torn between worlds – between my culture, people and land, and the world that I am trying to break into as an artist. Many of my peers struggle with this as well – how to hold onto our identities and rediscover ourselves in this era of settler colonialism.

Tsema & Kitsu 2022
Tsēmā & Kets’ōk (Kitsu). Kets’ōk is the Tāłtān name for Northern Lights; she is “Tahlipino,” (Tahltan/Filipino). Her mom, Tsēmā, whose name means “Rock Mother” is from a proud Tāłtān Matriarchy.

Matehaere Hope Haami, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Matehaere Hope Haami aka Hope One is a Takatapui beatboxer and poet from Te Atihaunui a Pāpārangi and
Taranaki Iwi of Aotearoa.

My community is diverse. It includes Indigenous people who grew up immersed in their culture, knowing exactly who they are and where they come from; it also includes Indigenous people who grew up away from their land and their community for many different reasons, including the effects of colonisation, residential schools, and lateral violence.

Many of our parents were stolen at a young age, ripped away from their land and family, and placed in the horrendous institution of residential schools, which has created a huge gap in passing down our cultures. I will continue to bring forth these topics in my work, honouring our Elders’ stories while supporting our resilient and resistant communities who are fighting to reclaim and define themselves within oppressive colonial contexts.

Siku, 2023 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Siku Allooloo, Inuk/Haitian/Taíno.

Many of our relatives were and continue to be inappropriately photographed and misrepresented. Historically, photography has been a violent and oppressive tool. I want to reclaim photography as an art form to empower Indigenous people – both behind and in front of the lens.

Through the timeless lens of the tintype, and in collaboration with the sitters, the relationship between the process of creation and the person being photographed records our current experiences from an Indigenous perspective, and honours our resilience.

I want to extend my deep gratitude to everyone involved with the project.

Soga Sénlá’
Kali Spitzer

Min-Taylor Bai-Woo, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Min-Taylor Bai-Woo is a queer trans genderfluid woman of northern Korean, Chinese, and French descent. Born and raised on Turtle Island, she is a tattoo artist and anti-colonial supporter in her local community.

Keeleigh, 2022 | Scan of 8 x 10 Tintype
Keeleigh is Mohawk (Kanien’kehá) and Swedish from Treaty 7 territory. This image was made in 2022 on the unceded territory of Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.

This article first appeared in Archer Magazine #20, the RESISTANCE issue.

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