Canadian Opera Company Announces Que Rock as Next Artist in Land Acknowledgement Commissioning Program
By David Salazar(photo by: Nadya Kwandibens/Red Works Photography)
The Canadian Opera Company has named Anishinaabe multidisciplinary artist, muralist, and cultural educator Que Rock (Quentin Commanda) as the next artist collaborator in its Land Acknowledgement Commissioning Program.
The company initiative invites Indigenous artists to reimagine land acknowledgement through artistic creation and community engagement.
Commanda, who is from Nipissing First Nation, will create a new site-specific installation inspired by the Seven Grandfather Teachings, featuring seven original digital artworks presented as a full-color window installation in the southwest corner of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, accompanied by a complementary indoor artwork. The installation is scheduled to be unveiled in September 2026.
“When people travel all around the world, they’re able to steep themselves in the unique languages and art of each culture, very often through the creation and presence of local art,” Commanda, whose public art has appeared across Canada through commissions for Adidas, the Toronto Transit Commission, the University of Toronto, and StreetARToronto, said per an official press release. “I think we could do so much more to achieve that same level of artistic and cultural representation in Canada. As a member of Nipissing First Nation and as an Anishinaabe, I really enjoy creating more representation for my nation on our traditional lands and territories; visibility is so important in making sure the world knows my Anishinaabe nation has always been here and always will be.”
Launched in 2022 following consultation with the COC’s Circle of Artists, the Land Acknowledgement Commissioning Program was developed to foster a more meaningful relationship between the company and the lands on which it creates and gathers.
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