Salmon Grass (2018)
Medium: collaged inkjet prints
Dimensions: 16” x 20”
This piece is a collage made up of two photos: one showing grass growing beside the Humber River in Toronto and another of a dead Salmon found along the shoreline. The image of the Salmon is cut into shapes resembling stones and arranged atop of the grass photo. The piece references the annual salmon migration, when thousands of salmon travel from the great lakes up tributary rivers to spawn, after which they die. These salmon are an important source of nutrients for the trees and plants that line the shore and help support the ecosystem as a whole. The stone-like shapes are a reminder that the Salmon are not only in the water, but become a part of the land itself.
I have watched Salmon swim up various rivers and creeks since I was young, and it has continued to fascinate me in different ways over the years—from simply admiring the fish as a child, to learning about the ecological roles they play, the extirpation of Atlantic Salmon during the 19th Century, and their reintroduction along with several species of Pacific Salmon. However, it is that initial admiration that I still feel strongest.
Untitled (2025)
Medium: found fishing line and denim, embroidery hoop
Dimensions: 12” x 12”
This work is an embroidery made with pieces of discarded fishing line I collected from along the banks of the Lower Humber River. Displayed on its hoop, the piece references contemporary craft practices as well as plastic pollution in southern Ontario waterways. The presence of fishing line on the banks in itself is indicative of the fish living there and can reveal clues as to what types of fish might be found there, or even the bathymetry of the river. After moving there, I would walk along the river and the shore of Lake Ontario to learn about the city, and the land on which it sits. As I walked the shorelines, watching seasonal cues and phenological changes, these pieces of line provided some insight, both into the life of the place and the challenges it faces.
Artist Bio
Brad Isaacs is a Settler/Mohawk artist and independent curator. He holds an MFA from the University of Western Ontario and has exhibited at galleries such as the McMaster Museum of Art, the Ottawa Art Gallery, and YYZ, among others. His work investigates the complex relationships between people and nature, and how representations of nature function in Western world-making. Using photography, video, and drawing, his practice operates around themes of invisibility and simulation, looking at subjects such as taxidermy, natural science museum collections, and fishing paraphernalia to question how we look at nature, and how the methods and technologies we use to visualize it create their own meaning. With paternal roots at Six Nations of the Grand River, he grew up situated around the Great Lakes and their tributaries. He is currently staying on Coast Salish lands and waters.
Website: bradisaacs.ca | Instagram @br_isaacs
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