(RE)Connection

(RE)Connection

by Nisga’a and Iranian Poets Chelsey Perry & Sasha Askarian

This work draws on both the literal and metaphorical significance of grounding identity in the present and in place. A tanned deer hide, gifted to Chelsey and representing connection to the Nisga’a First Nation, drapes over the faces of Iranian women, connecting the work to its surroundings while layering cultural and personal resonance. Symbolizing tradition, belonging, and the ongoing relationship between people and land, the hide anchors the piece in both physical and spiritual realms. 

This installation of poetry, hide, carpet and photographs by Carol Gandra, opened with a reading by the two artists, and is meant to give members the experience of walking through a story on place and belonging.

Chelsy Perry is a citizen of the Nisga’a First Nation, registered through the village of Gingolx in the Nass Valley. With mixed Nisga’a and settler European ancestry, Chelsey embraces her full self as a queer artist, weaving together identity, land, and ancestral strength.

Her artistic practice spans weaving, jewelry making, leatherwork, Nisga’a dance, language, and poetry—each medium a thread in the story of their identity.

For Chelsey, (Re)connection is an act of love, a return to land, body, and self. Through poetry, movement, and creation, Chelsey walks in the footsteps of her ancestors, honouring truth, resurgance, the power of coming home, and loving connections.

Sasha Askarian takes herself back to the landscapes of southern Iran through her artistic explorations. Between the worlds of pristine blue waters and the Pacific Northwest, her work bridges the tension between distance and closeness, longing and belonging.

As a poet and artist, Sasha reflects the intersections of displacement, nostalgia, and resilience, offering a space where personal and collective histories coexist.

For Sasha, (Re)connection is about coming home—to land, body, and self. It is about breaking free from colonial and capitalist definitions of love and moving toward a higher, spiritual truth.