ishKode: The Ancient Future

Indigenous Futurist
Anishinaabe
Thunderbird Clan
Walpole Island First Nation

ishKode means “the fire in the heart of a woman” in Anishinaabemowin. And his creative practice is based in Ontario, he is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans hip-hop, film, visual media and installation. Drawing deeply from his ancestral homelands and city-based experience, ishKode’s work centers on collective creativity, connecting land, story, rhythm, image and community.

Being rooted in his conventional role as an emcee/producer from the Hip Hop culture, he has evolved into a cultural strategist, creative consultant and artist facilitator/educator. He offers workshops, creative consulting, and artist residencies that invite youth and community members to co-create and respond to issues of environmental justice, Indigenous sovereignty and creative excellence.

His artistic vision has shifted into a broad interdisciplinary realm: producing immersive sound + film installations, video-media works, live performances with projection and visual elements, and consulting with arts & culture organizations to build creative ecosystems. He couples his city-based hip-hop roots with teachings from his Anishinaabe lineage, acknowledging the interdependence of land, story and community.

ishKode brings a resonant voice to live programming and exhibit installation, merging sonic experimentation with Indigenous storytelling, remixing culture and participatory media. His practice invites the audience into something more than performance: a gathering of knowledge, rhythm and place. He sees his creative work as contributing to a resurgence, not only in Native communities, but in the broader field of arts¬-culture where the story of the land, of community, and of future imagining is awakened.

In this new chapter, ishKode stands at the intersection of sound and image, heritage and innovation, workshop and installation. He invites collaborators, communities and re-imaginers of culture to join the flow, to move with the beat of the land, to speak through media, to design futures together in the spirit of achieving liberation through creativity.

+ zaagidiwiin nikaanaaganaa +

The Emerging Artist in Residence (EAIR) is a paid opportunity for emerging artists in Windsor-Essex, in the first 10 years of their career, who want to learn, grow, develop, and show their art while engaging with the public.

The selected Emerging Artists have the opportunity to focus on making their art and share their skills and experiences with the public. The artists in residence  gains new skills, all while connecting with their community in a series of programs or activations.

This program is supported by the RBC Foundation.