Gabor Gasztonyi Gallery is pleased to announce the new exhibition, Chilcotin Rodeo, Photographs by Gabor Gasztonyi.
Since 2007, Gabor Gasztonyi has photographed the smaller rodeos in British Columbia, including the Nemiah Rodeo, Redstone Rodeo, Interlakes Rodeo, and many other First Nations rodeos in the Chilcotin region. This collection of photographs seeks to portray the emotional relationships one finds in rodeo rather than the act of riding a bucking horse or a bull.
The cowboys of the Chilcotin, recognized in particular for their skill at taming and training wild horses, are among the top rodeo participants in Canada. These rodeo skills are interwoven with the culture of the Cariboo and the traditions of the Xeni and Tsilhqot’in peoples.
Much of the culture of First Nations Rodeo relies on the concept of a gathering, or the coming together of people and the coming together of families. During the early days of the Williams Lake Rodeo, families came by horse, foot, and wagon train from the distant edges of the Chilcotin and camped on the rodeo grounds. The rodeo also became an act of bonding between Indigenous peoples and settler Canadians.
Rather than offering simple portraits of cowboys and their rodeo activities, Chilcotin Rodeo provides a closer look into the hearts of cowboys and the bravery of the Tsilhoqot’n first nations people.
Recently the Tsilhoqot’n people received an apology from the government of Canada for the vicious hanging of six of their chiefs in 1864, who were wrongfully convicted and killed for defending their homeland, their people and their way of life.
Prints
15 x 20 Gallery Framed and Signed. 750.00
11 x 14 Gallery Framed and Signed 510.00
15 x 20 Metal Framed and Signed 545.00
11 x 14 Metal Framed and Signed 365.00
8 x 10 Unframed Signed Prints 125.00
