With National Pastimes, Jim Logan looks back on his difficult relationship with his father and his filial love that could only find an expression through their shared passion for hockey. Each of the seven paintings in the ensemble is a striking vignette of childhood. One reveals the terrifying face of a priest and alludes to the terror the notorious “residential schools” struck in Aboriginal hearts, while another shows two kids wearing hockey sweaters bearing the names Riel and Dumont, presented here like sporting heroes. From the intimate figure of the father to the historic allusions to Métis chiefs, Logan affirms his sense of belonging with verve, without a hint of nostalgia: the speaking heart is unflinching.
National Pastimes (detail)
Jim Logan