Curator: Chantal Molleur

Thirza Cuthand made Lessons in Baby Dyke Theory in 1995 when she was sixteen years old. In the five years since, she has directed nine videos. Cuthand is Cree and also of Scottish descent. Her work is autobiographical. During her teens, she deconstructed stereotypes of adolescence, homosexuality, native customs and the representation of the family in pop culture. In her work, she questions and deconstructs sexual stereotypes and criticises the patriarchal social order. With irony, she confronts 'The Other' as well as her ageing within gay culture.

Cuthand speaks out as a dyke, a métis and as the descendant of an artistic family. The influence of her family is surely important, but her approach to the video medium is very much her own. Cuthand maps out her montage as she shoots her tapes and brings the viewer closer to her own reality.

Thirza Cuthand is from Saskatchewan. She is currently living in Vancouver, where she is completing a bachelor's in Film and Video at the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design.