Maria-Hélèna Pacelli

Crossing bloodlines in the dark

This photo-based installation explores themes of class, migration, displacement, land, lineage and resilience as they apply to the Italian-Canadian diaspora.

Juxtaposing historical images documenting the expropriation of the Goose Village, a predominantly Italian and Irish working class ghetto; images of heirloom peonies that have survived 4 generations of displacement; and a family photo of ancestors who remained in Italy, this work symbolizing the journey from homeland to new home, the separation of family lineages through migration, and the resilience of surviving in a place where Italians were considered expendable and undesirable aside from their value as inexpensive sources of labour.

This work is timely as it follows an official apology by the Canadian government towards the Italian-Canadian community for internment camps during World War II. As the Italian diaspora witnessed the devastating impact of the pandemic in Italy, this time is a ripe opportunity to uncover and reclaim the lost and silenced stories of Italian-Canadians, and re-examine them with a new understanding and recognition of the oppression, violence and uprooting that has shaped Italian-Canadian heritage and identity. Italian-Canadians have since made an indelible mark in Canadian culture. This is part of our story.

Aerial view of the Goose Village before expropriation & demolition, c. 1962

Scanned fiber print reproduced on e-panel

45 in. x 65 in.

Original print courtesy of the Pacelli family archives in Montréal, QC, Canada

Documentation of the Mastromatteo family home prior to expropriation & demolition, c. 1962

Scanned fiber print reproduced on acrylic

24 in. by 24 in.

Original print courtesy of the Pacelli family archives in Montréal, QC, Canada

Local children posing with catalogue numbers during documentation of the Goose Village prior to expropriation & demolition, c.1962

Scanned fiber print reproduced on acrylic

24 in. by 24 in.

Original print courtesy of the Pacelli family archives in Montréal, QC, Canada

Documentation of the Victoriatown Boys Club prior to expropriation & demolition of the Goose Village, c. 1962

Scanned fiber print reproduced on acrylic

24 in. by 24 in.

Original print courtesy of the Pacelli family archives

Cilenti-Mastromatteo-Pacelli heirloom peonies in full bloom, post-pandemic, 2021

Digital photograph printed on acrylic

24 in. x 24 in.

Cilenti-Mastromatteo-Pacelli heirloom peony bud, post-pandemic, 2021

Digital photograph printed on acrylic

24 in. x 24 in.

Cilenti-Mastromatteo-Pacelli heirloom peony bud with worker ants, post-pandemic, 2021

Digital photograph printed on acrylic

24 in. x 24 in.

Mastromatteo family portrait in Vico del Gargano, Italy, c. 1972

Digital photograph printed on acrylic

23 in. x 45 in.

Original image file courtesy of the Mastromatteo family archives in Vico del Gargano, Italy

Pacelli passenger manifest

 

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