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MSVU Collection


Artist
¤ Camille Turner

Date of Work
¤ c. 2012

Accession Year
¤ 2005

Accession Number
¤ 2005.1

Location
¤ In storage

Media
¤ Photography
¤ Sculpture / Installation



Home » MSVU Collection » Camille Turner: Miss Canadiana (Red, White and Beautiful)

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Camille Turner: Miss Canadiana (Red, White and Beautiful)

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Camille Turner
(b. 1960 Kingston, Jamaica; lives in Toronto, ON)
Miss Canadiana (Red, White and Beautiful) 2002-2005
cut-out digital photograph on board
48.1 x 31.7 cm
Gift of the artist, 2005
Mount Saint Vincent University Collection
2005.1

This item is the residue of Camille Turner’s performance as a beauty queen in MSVU Art Gallery as part of the exhibition Racing the cultural Interface: African Diasporic Identities in the Digital Age (2005). Turner’s glamorous persona, the beauty queen Miss Canadiana, works to challenge assumptions about Canadian identity and normative beauty.

Born in Jamaica, Turner immigrated to Canada as a child. Turner feels that her cultural identity has been defined by Canada’s often-lauded multiculturalism as a fetishized display of diversity rather than as an integral part of the fabric of Canadian culture. Turner says, “no matter how long I live in Canada, no matter that I’ve lived here most of my life, when will I ever be Canadian? The feeling of otherness is so common.”

Begun in 2002 on Canada Day in Ottawa, the Miss Canadiana project is an attempt to assert her Canadian identity, questioning the inclusiveness Canada’s multiculturalism. Complete with limousines, photo opportunities, public appearances and a website, Miss Canadiana has since travelled to cities in Europe, North America and Africa.

Camille Turner is a Toronto-based media/performance artist and cultural producer.

KB

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