Collection: Wantaqpa'q / Calm Water-Alex Balkam

Alex Balkam is a visual and media artist based out of So'qmkiknuk, Mi'kma'ki (Shelburne, NS). A
member of Wasoqopa'q First Nation, his work integrates research in Mi'kmaw oral, material and
visual culture within the context of a contemporary artistic practice. His work places particular
emphasis on the significance of waisisk / animals in the development of visual and material culture.
Working primarily in oil painting, sculpture, brain-tanning, trail cameras and analogue film, his
practice engages themes of place, being and nature. His short films have been featured at major
festivals across Canada, and his artwork has been selected for inclusion in the Nova Scotia Art Bank
collection. Received a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in
Vancouver, British Columbia in 2022.

A New Exhibition Exploring Reflection, Story, and the Living Land

Wantaqpa'q / Calm Water presents a striking new collection of oil paintings shaped by years of observing and recording the mirrored relationships between land, sky, and water. Drawing from Super8 and 16mm film studies, the exhibition transforms these reflections into richly layered canvases that blur the boundaries between natural
phenomena, memory, and story.


Central to the work are significant beings from Mi'kmaw oral narratives who move between earth and water realms — including Jipijk'maq (Horned Serpents) and Kaqtukwaq (Thunders). Their presence threads through the series, grounding the imagery in ancestral knowledge and the living world it describes.


The artist employs a distinctive “oil printing” technique developed in recent years, folding the canvas repeatedly upon itself in a process inspired by the natural mirroring found in lakes, rivers, and coastal waters.


Also featured is a selection of works from Tupsie'katik / Tobeatic, an earlier series informed by research in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area — home to protected species such as Tia'm (Mainland Moose) and Apistane'wj (American marten).


This exhibition was made possible with support from ArtsNS.