Thirza Jean Cuthand was born in Regina and grew up in Saskatoon. Since 1995, she has been making short experimental narrative videos and films about sexuality, madness, youth, love, and race which have screened in festivals internationally.
The familiar razor-sharp wit and DIY diarist aesthetic abound in the imagineNATIVE Artist Spotlight on Thirza. The selection is drawn from Thirza’s prolific video art practice. Released over the past 20 years, the featured works present Cuthand’s voice and body prominently as both subject and object while taking up with and scrutinizing themes of queer Indigenous identity, madness, kink and colonialism.
-written by Ariel Smith
Which Toronto neighbourhood do you live in?
I live in Cabbagetown.
What do you do for your artistic practice?
I am a filmmaker, video artist, performance artist, and writer.
What are you currently working on?
I am in post production on a short film called kwêskosîw (she whistles) which is about a nêhiyaw woman who gets abducted by a cab driver in Saskatchewan and has to harness a supernatural power. It’s based on a feature film currently in development called Evil Fire, which is about an Indigenous woman who has powers of pyrokinesis and kicks serious ass.
Where can we find your work?
I have a blog on my website thirzacuthand.com which is really an informal place for me to vent and whine. I also have a Vimeo account but most newer work is password protected. I can also be found in the collection at Vtape.
