From Tradition to Technology: Claude Latour’s ‘Makwa’s Blessings’ Opens in Ottawa

An Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, Claude Latour’s bloodline is tied to the animal clan of the bear, or Makwa, which has guided his work for decades. The multidisciplinary artist seamlessly bridges ancient Algonquin teachings with his modern digital media works of art and installations in public spaces.

More than an animal, the stories passed down through his mother’s side of the family honour Makwa, who gifted his clan with “dream interpretation and being traditional healers and keepers of medicinal and herbal knowledge while also having the responsibility of being protectors and guardians.”

This rich cultural background lays the foundation for the Ottawa-born artist’s body of work, including his latest series, Makwa’s Blessings, which opens to the public on Friday, June 12, at Patrick Gordon Framing. The exhibition features photo-based works inspired by the bear, which Latour says represent “temperament and strength balanced by quietness, reflection, and healing within the time of hibernation.”

The attributes of the bear not only manifest themselves in Latour’s artwork but are also ingrained in his character, leading him to be fiercely loyal and dedicated to family and friends, with a strong instinct to protect them from harm. Notably, he believes the bear’s “gift of playfulness and imagination” is intrinsically tied to both his physical being and his artistic expression.

Latour hopes that after viewing his new works, audiences will be inspired by a renewed “understanding of our relationship with the beauty and power of creation itself: moving us forward in order to continue to work needed on trying our best to save this sacred planet.”

Regarding two works in the exhibition that document imagery from the war memorial, Latour hopes they will “remind the viewer that we as human beings do not have the consciousness to prevent ourselves from creating the act of matricide against our own Mother Earth,” a message that feels especially relevant in today’s world, where history often seems destined to repeat itself.

The public is welcome to attend the vernissage for the new exhibition on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Patrick Gordon Framing, located at 160 Elm Street. From 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Latour will be on hand to discuss his work and its relationship to the “tableaux of Algonquin teachings.”

A graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program, Latour is currently immersed in a range of new creative projects that continue to blend emerging technologies with artistic exploration. His Yellow House Series is a self-directed project consisting of thirteen 11” x 14” sketchbooks filled with automatist black-and-white ink drawings created by hand. These works are then studied through the medium of photography, capturing images and spirits before being transformed into new mixed-media artworks.

Nucleation and Lace uses photography as a basis for examining the interconnected phenomena that define the visual and sensory experience of drinking beer. At a macro level, Latour says the resulting abstract images reveal numerous possibilities for Eastern Woodland Style creations.

Through each project, Claude Latour continues to demonstrate that Indigenous knowledge and contemporary artistic practice are not opposing forces but complementary ways of seeing, understanding, and honouring the world around us.