WESTLAND GALLERY - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2026

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Roberta Cory is a hunter-gatherer, mixed-media artist. Drawing on her extensive art background, she knows intuitively when a thrift store object has potential. “The Air We Breathe,” Roberta’s piece in the International Women’s Day 2026 show at the Westland Gallery, features the refineries in Sarnia, which are located on the land of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation (formally known as Chippewas of Sarnia).

 

In the 1920s, this piece of land was sold, never anticipating its development as the site for 60 refineries.

 

Benzene, one of several atmospheric pollutants, causes cancer. This is a life-and-death political issue for Indigenous families on the reserve.

 

The style of this piece draws from the Mughal Miniatures of the 18th century with their non-Western depiction of space. The viewer reads the piece moving up vertically, with blocks of calligraphy intersecting with the painted objects.