Artist Statement: Indigo Porebska-Smith

Photo by Samara Sladen-Dew

As an artist living, working, and playing on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations I acknowledge the privilege and deep gratitude I have for the land I steward.  Having grown up in a small rural community I have always been connected to my natural surroundings. This strong connection to nature is a constant source of inspiration for me and is evident in all of my work, be it in use of colour, costume, or grounded movement style.  My art is a representation of my personal evolution and my own lived experiences, while simultaneously expressing the commonality of the human experience.  When making work, I focus on intention, integrity, and honesty, whether the subject matter is social, political, or emotional. I make art that elicits joy and ignites passion. It is at the core of my beliefs that every being should have a voice, so in my work I bring to the foreground my best interpretation of voices that might not otherwise be heard.  In recent years I have been inspired by the principals of flying low and contact improvisation as a framework for the body to communicate through. My practice continues to be mainly in dance but I do not confine myself to a single genre of art and enjoy working in multi-mediums and collaborating with multidisciplinary artists. My passion for movement has taken me on a journey of exploration, investigation, and realization and has afforded me the opportunity to create work with the intention of enhancing the world in a positive way.

Spider webs play with light in the forest on Salt Spring Island

About Indigo:

Indigo Porebska-Smith was born in 1998 in a cottage on Galiano Island.  Spending most of her childhood and adolescence on Salt Spring Island she took up dance at the age of thirteen.  Indigo trained predominantly at Gulf Islands School of Performing Arts, and Salt Spring Arts Academy. Her passion for dance flourished during workshops with 605 Collective and Out Innerspace where she decided to pursue dance at a postsecondary level.  To date, Indigo has trained in ballet, contemporary, and improvisational techniques. In 2016 Indigo began an undergraduate degree at Simon Fraser University (SFU) where she is currently studying contemporary dance. In recent years Indigo has merited several awards and scholarships from SFU including the Dean’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence, Dean’s Honor Roll and Service Awards for community engagement.  During her time at University Indigo has worked with artists such as Company 605, Justine Chambers, Noam Gagnon, and Chick Snipper.