Biography
Keely Hopkins is a
settler artist based in Kjipuktuk in Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Nova Scotia). Born in Sikóóhkotok
(Lethbridge, Alberta) on Treaty 7 Territory, Hopkins completed a
Bachelor of Science in Biology in 2019 at the University of
Lethbridge before pursuing visual art at NSCAD University. They
graduated with a BFA in Photography and a minor in Art History in
2023.In 2024 they were a recipient of Struts Gallery Media Arts Production Fund. Hopkins has exhibited across Canada and was the recipient of a Create Grant from ArtsNS to complete a body of work focused on the future of wetlands and grasslands; Visual Silencing is a project that deals with the topics of land, erosion, and climate change by referencing the historical, ecological, and cultural event termed “The Dirty Thirties” or “The Dustbowl”.
Hopkins’ practice is interdisciplinary and is frequently based in photography, sculpture and video. Their work is deeply influenced by their upbringing as a settler on Treaty 7 Territory and their background in biology. Themes of survival, extraction, labour, and land are frequently explored in their practice that is grounded by research into historical and scientific contexts.