Writing

This blog post, written for the McGill Visual Arts Collection and published by Library Matters, traces the remarkable journey of the Jingjiao Stele from Tang-dynasty China to present-day Montreal. It explores how centuries of replication and restoration reveal different cultural perspectives on authenticity, preservation, and cross-cultural exchange.

This essay explores photography’s role in constructing presence within ethnographic practice. Drawing on personal photographs taken in Mexico, it reflects on how photography compares to writing and drawing in its ability to convey lived experience. Through engagement with key theorists—Clifford Geertz, André Bazin, Roland Barthes, and Michael Taussig—the essay examines the distinct affordances and limitations of each medium in representing cultural immersion, memory, and presence.

This blog post, written for the McGill Visual Arts Collection and published by Library Matters, explores the lesser-known story behind Nancy Petry’s double-sided painting Bird of Paradise. The piece highlights Petry’s artistic development, the layered meanings embedded in her composition, and the conservation challenges posed by double-sided works.