Aleksi Ann

Alice

Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, 2026

Gordon Snelgrove Gallery

Reception: Friday, March 20, from 7 - 10pm

Alice celebrates my family’s story through a lens that centers the often-overlooked women of Métis households. The artwork reflects on the dual nature of the land in the Batoche region, a landscape marked by generational trauma yet still holding structural remnants that evoke childlike wonder. During the 1885 Resistance, my relatives in the Boyer and Tourand families experienced tremendous loss of property, health, and life. Despite growing up in the aftermath of this trauma, Alice is remembered as a curious, kind girl who grew into a deeply loving mother and grandmother. My grandmother, Yvette, described Alice as “the best Mémère ever!”

Following my Grandma Yvette’s unexpected passing and recent separation, this project evolved as I navigated and processed my own grief. Although Alice was a real woman, within the context of this exhibition she also becomes an archetype; one that allows me to explore identity, grief, and storytelling as a Métis woman.

About the Artist

Aleksi Ann is a 28 year old artist based in North Battleford, SK. Her work pulls inspiration from her culturally mixed background, the flora, fauna, and history of Saskatchewan, queer culture, and pop culture. She often utilizes bold, imaginative colour to explore emotions, identity, filtering the world through a unique, dreamy lens. Ann is primarily an acrylic painter, but does incorporate oil painting and mixed media applications into her practice, prioritizing play and exploration.

Ann’s work has been exhibited across Saskatchewan at different galleries, in numerous group exhibitions and a handful of previous solo exhibitions, Her work has been acquired by various private collections around the world. She has also installed several public art pieces including a hand painted mural fin the city of North Battleford, a hand painted mural in the city of Lloydminster, and two vinyl-reproduction door wrap murals in the City of Saskatoon.

While passionate about art, Ann is also passionate about community, and building community through art. She has worked with multiple school divisions to design and facilitate Métis and queer cultural arts activities, and hosted programming in collaboration with The City of North Battleford, Battleford’s and Area Tribal Chiefs, The South Okanagan Métis Association, Battleford’s Pride, and The City of Prince Albert. When she is not busy creating art and community, she enjoys mentoring youth artists, having opened her studio in North Battleford to over 30 youth since 2022.

Gracyn Torgerson

Evolutions

Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, 2026

Gordon Snelgrove Gallery

Reception: Friday, March 20, from 7 - 10pm

These works convey my personal thoughts and state of mind, reflecting mixed emotions of disorientation and contentment that come with being a woman in her twenties in this transformative period. Blending observational realism with experimentation and chance, I create psychological spaces with contemporary colours that are compelling to me. My paintings and drawings capture my evolving journey with growth by serving as emotional outlets that bring me to a peaceful state. 

About the Artist

I’m a 22-year-old artist from Rose Valley, SK, in my final year of the BFA program. My practice focuses on painting and drawing. I started drawing when I was three years old and my love for it never died. I always knew I wanted to pursue a career related to art as I couldn’t envision myself pursuing anything else.

Pen Tweten

(un)natural

Monday, March 16 - Friday, March 20, 2026

Gordon Snelgrove Gallery 

Reception: Friday, March 20, from 7 - 10pm

What is natural, and why distinguish it from the man-made? Is it possible to act unnaturally if we are all products of nature?

​My artwork, even when I do not intend it to, becomes a confrontation of social roles. I enjoy poking fun at the rigid expectations and unspoken hierarchies woven into everyday life. I pair animals, including people, with scenes, patterns, and abstractions to contrast internal conditions with external environments. By disrupting patterns and geometric shapes, I highlight natural forms against those that are constructed and unchanging. Fantastical analogies, especially comparisons to animals, are my preferred way of exposing the constructed nature of social roles and how they often disregard individuality and human needs. By treating my subjects as beings with pasts, presents, and futures, I invite viewers to contemplate their motivations, personalities, and relationships to society; even when the imagery seems silly. By revealing the arbitrariness of what we accept as ‘normal’, I encourage viewers to question the validity of the status quo.

About the Artist 

Pen Tweten (also known as traulisms) is an artist known for their playful analogies and use of bright colour and patterns. Animals often appear in their work in place of people, exaggerating the arbitrary nature and humour of social hierarchies. With endless access to new media online, comics, digital art, and animation were their earliest sources of inspiration. At the same time, they were always captivated by the art of traditional painters. They are now fascinated with the middle ground between these forms of expression and have been exploring ways of incorporating popular design into their artwork rather than shying away from it. Interested primarily in storytelling, their work always has implications beyond what is in the frame.

Programming and Events

Reception: Friday, March 20, from 7 - 10pm