About the Artist

Juliana Nelson Gagné is a multidisciplinary artist and writer with a BFA in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design (Lenape Land, New York City). They have exhibited their work in shows in the US, Canada, Germany and Spain. Notably Juliana participated in the Sehnsucht exhibition at Espai Fotogràfic Can Basté, Barcelona in 2022.

Juliana is currently in their first year of graduate school, studying Interdisciplinary Art, Media and Design at OCAD University in Tkaranto (Toronto, Canada) on the land of the Mississaugas of the Credit as well as the Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat Nations.

Juliana explores various media ranging from: illustration, printmaking, embroidery, photography, sound pieces and installations. Nature is a prominent theme, both in materials, motifs and inspiration: from crushing plants to make photo-sensitive emulsions for anthotypes, or drying plants to create photograms on cyanotype-coated fabric. Juliana’s work typically addresses themes of: the study of epigenetics, family history, immigration, cultural mixing, entropy and the connection between memory and land.

Opening Reception

Reception: Friday January 3, 2025

This reception is free and open to the public!

7-8pm: Reduced sensory reception, noise and lights will be reduced as much as possible. Everyone is welcome during this time but I ask that you stay mindful of your volume. If you have any specific access needs or concerns, please email me at gagne.juliana@gmail.com so we can find a way to accommodate anyone interested in attending!

Please also be scent sensitive: if possible before attending, avoid perfume and heavily scented body products.

8-9pm: Lights will be at full brightness, there will be a video with a sound piece playing on the projector, there may be some music played at the end of the reception. Please continue to be scent sensitive for the entire reception

Location: Scandinavian Cultural Center, Nordic Hall

206 Waltham Street Newton, MA 02465

For more information:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opening-reception-juliana-gagne-tickets-1051661236067#:~:text=The%20Dream%20Dimension%3A%20Beyond%20the%20Veil,-This%20exhibit%20is&text=This%20show%20explores%20the%20impact,without%20changing%20our%20DNA%20structure.

Exhibition Statement

This exhibit is largely inspired by Juliana’s Grandfather, Dr Sherman Eddie Nelson. Dr Nelson was a pioneering psychologist and came from a family of Sámi, Nordic and Finnish immigrants. The exhibition explores the themes of: ancestral memory, family stories, immigration and the politics of maintaining or denying your heritage after immigration. This show explores the impact that immigration has on the following generations as well as the study of epigenetics: an area of science that looks at how our ancestors experiences and the environment influence our genetics without changing our DNA structure.

For more information visit:

https://scandicenter.org/event/exhibit-juliana-gagne/