DUANE ISAAC: THE SURREAL

AS I AM AN Ojibwe and Wasauksing First Nation (Eagle Clan) member, my curatorial interests explore many facets of identity, including discussions of queerness, gender, and the importance of cultural representation in art. I have always focused on rising artists who push boundaries and align with the themes and concepts I research.

Duane Isaac is one of those artists. They are of Mi’gmaq descent from rural Listuguj, Quebec. From studying at Dawson College to exhibiting in various galleries and publications, their practice catalyzes discussions of indigeneity and queerness, woven into themes of masculinity, femininity, and the power of camp.

Duane states,

“My Indigiqueer perspective shapes my artistic practice by exploring the intersectionality of identity, culture, and sexuality.”

Duane creates surreal, fantastical masks inspired by ideas around their identity, made of found objects and recycled supplies. Their fabrication process involves forging every mask with a base layer of aluminum foil applied to a mould to create a smooth, seamless form. When pleased with the mould prototype, the mask gains a layer of foam clay, filling any gaps and creating stability. Once the foam clay has congealed, the mask is ready for protruding forms and embellishments. Duane’s masks are fabricated in an organic flow in which mistakes and anomalies are embraced. These moments push the creative work in new directions throughout the process.

The creative process continues through the camera lens and later in post-production. Duane works with models, friends, and strangers to embody archetypes that comment on the ongoing glorification of the ideal body.

The photographs are narrowed down to four or five for the editing process. Duane uses Lightroom and Photoshop to layer in otherworldly environments to create an eerie playfulness. Ultimately, mask-making has been the most important part of their photography journey.

I first became aware of Duane’s practice in 2018 when I came across "Bloom" (2018). This image specifically spoke to the concepts and themes I research, queerness and gender. Queer identity holds many complex states of fluctuation. The embodiment and notions of masc and fem are never in a fixed state and always waver. Often, our desires, relationships, and interactions are subjected to scrutiny, and expectations are made around sexuality and gender identity to fit a pre-manufactured mould. "Bloom" (2018) presents a traditionally masculine body that evolves past colonial ideologies surrounding sexuality and gender.

Duane Isaac, Snake Series, 2023. Celestial Bodies / Corps célestes /Enangog Bemaadzojig, exhibition at daphne Gallery, Montreal, in collaboration with articule, photographed by Guy L'heureux, 2023. — Duane Isaac, Snake Series, 2023. *Celestial Bodies / Corps célestes /Enangog Bemaadzojig*, exhibition at daphne Gallery, Montreal, in collaboration with articule, photographed by Guy L'heureux, 2023.

Duane and I worked together in 2023 at daphne x articule in Montreal. Celestial Bodies became a travelling exhibition that stemmed from my residency there. This group exhibition explored the experience of Indigenous Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer identities. Our work presented the audience with the statement:

We are celestial bodies, and we transcend.

The Snake Series, consisting of three photographs and three sculptural masks’ were pieces created specifically for Celestial Bodies. This work challenges the traditional way we view photographs as art by allowing the viewer a new dimension to their experience. The handmade masks on display share the artist’s hand and challenge the connection with the subject in the image. In this series, Duane presents concepts of the queer gaze through myth and fable iconography crafting a sense of the forbidden. Apples, pills, and snakes embody temptation, caution, and consequence, cloaked around the ideals of traditional beauty.

Duane’s practice is ever-evolving. A recent outdoor exhibition of their work in Quebec featured large-scale images printed on transparent sheets pressed into blocks of ice. New presentations such as this push their ideas around encapsulating the surreal, while continuing to propel viewers to question beauty and identity through ethereal, strange, and heavenly works.

See more work by Duane Isaac:

duanedisaac.com

This story appeared in issue #73, the MELD edition. This issue showcased photography as a creative blender, presenting artists who work slowly and carefully crafting considered, intentional, layered, and complicated works.