Flying Dust

Nadine Track captures an
aboriginal spirit in her photography

By Carmel Kilkenny

Nadine Track was compelled to look deep into the heritage and history of her adopted country.

For some of her most recent work, she found herself captivated by Canada’s aboriginal culture and people. She said she was determined to find the picture that was in her head despite discouragement from many. “I was told that you’ll find nothing… it’s not what you think… this is a fantasized picture in your head.”

She trusted in her vision and she says “signs took me there; from friend to a friend, I just expressed my wish to do portraits.” ‘There’ was Saskatchewan. north-western Saskatchewan, where she found a Cree community called ‘Flying Dust‘ near Meadow Lake.

She lived in the community for a week, and felt strong parallels with her experience in Lebanon. She was invited to join a lunch with the chief which she describes as one of the most delicious of her life.

The resulting work is arresting, perhaps all the more so with the juxtaposition of these traditional images on metal. Nadine Track says she “wanted this contrast between the spirituality, the heritage and the pictures which are treated in Photoshop”. She said she wanted to give a dreamlike painterly effect and you can be the judge, as to whether she was successful.

Click images below to learn more about each artwork.