T’uy’t’tanat Cease Wyss

Early life Cease Wyss grew up in British Columbia. Wyss' grandmother wove cedar root baskets from age five to her death at age 64 and had ten children.

Transits and Returns, Vancouver Art Gallery (2019–2020) This exhibition was co-curated by Tarah Hogue, Lana Lopesi, Sarah Biscarra Dilley, Freja Carmichael, and Léuli Eshrāghi. It presented the work of 21 Indigenous artists whose practices are rooted in both the specificities of their cultures and via their travels. Wyss's contribution was a 2018 work titled Shḵwen̓ Wéw̓ shḵem Nexw7iy̓ay̓ulh (To Explore, To Travel by Canoe). The sculptural installation consists of a ceremonial cape, photographs, and materials such as Lauhala, coconut hull fiber, seagrass, red cedar bark, wool, abalone shell, and mother of pearl buttons that are used by makers from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and Hawaiian territories.

x̱aw̓s shew̓áy̓ New Growth «新生林», 221A Semi-Public 半公開 (2019–2020) This site-specific work was produced during Wyss's 14-month fellowship with 221A art space, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. An empty lot at 271 Union Street was transformed into a Pacific Northwest Coast rain forest garden

A Constellation of Remediation (2017–2019) A Constellation of Remediation was a collaborative two-year, site-specific public art project situated on vacant and untended lots throughout Vancouver. callresponse (2016) Co-organized by Tarah Hogue, Maria Hupfield and Tania Willard, this exhibition addressed five projects commissioned by Indigenous artists based across Canada and the United States. Participating artists were selected for their diverse work in engaging with community through practices ranging from performance to ceremony to new media. A publication was developed with Christi Belcourt, Tarah Hogue, Maria Hupfield, Karyn Recollet, Eve Tuck, and Aseman Sabet.

Talking Poles, public art installation (2009) Talking Poles commemorated a community dialogue project led by Wyss, Lorna Boschman, and Victoria Moulder in 2009. Two poles standing 4.2 meters high were installed on both sides of the City of Surrey Serpentine Greenway path. The poles, which were created as part of a collaborative effort, depict words written in the many languages spoken by the community and allude to the role of the talking stick in Indigenous oral traditions.

Selected publications

Writing Journey to Kahoʻolawe documents the recovery and remediation of sacred land on the Hawaiian island of Kahoʻolawe which had previously been occupied by American forces. Histories of migration are explored, by detailing the migratory journey of the Kanaka family to the Pacific Northwest Coast, as well as Indigenous Hawaiian and Squamish communities.

Illustration Squamish People of the Sunset Coast explores many different sources to relay the history and cultural traditions of the Squamish people through the lens of two specific stories: "The Two Sisters" and "Mink and His Brother."

Filmography and media

Awards and honors 2010 recipient of the City of Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for film and new media. 2020 recorded as an artist by The National Gallery of Canada. 2022 honorary doctorate by Emily Carr University 2024 recipient of The Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation VIVA Award.

Wyss has participated in the Indigenous Storyteller in Residence at the Vancouver Public Library (2018). and was an artist-in-residence (2017) with Leigh Tennant, at Griffin Art Projects in North Vancouver, British Columbia.