Artist shares the 'great love of peace'

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In the early days, Greg Staats' family recorded their history in the oral tradition, in his grandfather's time it was reported in journals.

Now Staats uses the camera to tell the story of his people.

Staats, 36, a Mohawk, was born and raised in Sour Springs, which is little more than a cross roads on the Six Nation Reserve near Brantford, Ont.

Staats, who opened a solo exhibit of his work at the Tom Thompson Gallery in Owen Sound on Sept. 13, is gaining international acclaim for his re-creation of positive realities of First Nation people.

But it is the opportunities to share his life experience with the people who attend his lecture series that gives him the most pleasure.

"My work encourages dialogue and that's what's more important," said Staats.

Staats has always had an interest in photography and when he was 16 years old he saved up his earnings from his first job working in a department store and bought his first camera.

In his early twenties, having graduated from Sheridan College's photography program, he was hired as an assistant to a fashion photographer, but the glitter of the fashion world soon faded for Staats and he began searching for a new direction.

Using a Polaroid camera, Staats found he was able to capture the directness and immediacy of the image - his photos now create a living wall of memory.

He returned to the reserve and found that he could continue his family's tradition by communicating through his camera.

His "Memories of a Collective Reality" which will be on display at the Owen Sound gallery until Oct. 19, is a repository of memories for the artist. Each photograph refers to a different experience or influence in his life - a row of trees which his father and uncle planted, the church-yard where his father is buried, his grandmother's house.

His grandmother's house has been pulled down now, but Staats has recorded its existence in his own way. His grandfather before him recorded the family's important events in journals which Staats found hidden inside the walls of his grandmother's home.

Staats often uses a Native language in the titles of his work, sometimes in combination with English. He says his use of linguistic terminology is a reminder that his people's culture and their languages are still very much alive; its use also reflects his strong sense of community ethos.

In his 15-part "Requickening Address," Staats visualizes a trip into the sacred realm of the condolence cane used as a memory aid by the speaker at the Long House.

"Requickening Address" parallels the process of spiritual healing provided in the condolence ceremony. Staats has carefully selected and unfolded the healing process of a community.

Staats work has been displayed across Canada and in the United States including the prestigious McMichael Collection in Kleinberg north of Toronto. But he prefers to work with smaller, artist run centres that have an educational component to their exhibitions.

"It's nice to be recognized for the work you do, but it's more important for me to have an opportunity to spread the good word of the great love of peace,'' he said.