Vibrant Beaded Compositions by Renée Condo Convey the Mi’gmaq Spirit of Empathy — Colossal

Throughout her practice, Renée Condo draws on the philosophical tenets of her Mi’gmaq ancestry. The Montreal-based artist works with wooden beads that she sands, paints in bold acrylic, and nests into energetic compositions depicting juicy fruits, raindrops, and brilliant, golden suns.

Condo is interested in mntu, or spirit, and what she refers to as heart knowledge, acts that emerge from empathy and love. Through sculptural pieces that emphasize interconnection and flow, the artist draws on Indigenous creation stories and myths, considering her beadwork a reimagining of various traditions.

Condo often engages the relationship between the component and composition, emphasizing the ways in which a singular piece would appear abstract without a broader context. “The bead as fundamental entity, as infinite potentiality, can appear as divided, as unit, as part,” she says, “but is at once whole and all-encompassing, holding secrets of the world and to the nature of reality.”

This fall, Condo will have work on view at GAVLAK, where she’s represented. You can find more of her practice on Instagram.