Created by artist and writer Jay Odjick (Kitigan Zibi Anishinaabeg), Odāwā Yesterday: Odāwā Chìnàgo transforms the Ottawa Art Gallery’s façade at Mackenzie King Bridge with an original animation exploring Indigenous presence and continuity in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Presented after sunset, the projection brings the gallery’s exterior to life through Odjick’s distinctive storytelling.
Beginning with Turtle Island, the work speaks to enduring relationships between land, water, and people, reflecting on Algonquin presence in the region since time immemorial. Drawing inspiration from the Woodland school of art and the visual language of comic books, the animation follows waterways as pathways of movement, trade, and connection, exploring the ways people have travelled to and through this region and the relationships and stories that continue to shape its past, present, and future.
A companion projection, Odāwā Tomorrow: Odāwā Wàbang, will be presented on the National Arts Centre’s Kipnes Lantern, on view from September 24-27th, 2026.
Artist Bio
Jay Odjick is an artist, writer and TV producer from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation. Jay has illustrated two books by famed author Robert Munsch and produced the Kagagi TV series based on his graphic novel. Most recently, Jay’s new graphic novel Kaboom: Blast Off was published by Scholastic.
This project was realized with the support of Ottawa Tourism’s 200th Tourism Animation Fund.
This project was developed by the OAG in collaboration with the National Arts Centre.
