Alt Text ...

This Too Shall Pass

    an investigative photo documentary

Exclusive 22-page photo essay from our investigative journalist team in collaboration with award-winning photojournalist Ryan Walker. Location: Toronto, Canada Copyright Wondereur 2023.

MEET with artist Dean Drever curated by experimental art explorer Michael Klein.

Drever cover
1
“WHEN SOMEBODY DOES SOMETHING WRONG TO US, WE JUST WANT TO PUT THEM AWAY.”
2
“We lock them up in jail so they can’t continue to hurt people.”
3.1
“To me, violence is just repressed anger.”
3
“HOW CAN WE FIND A VOICE FOR BAD BEHAVIOUR IN A HEALTHY WAY?”
4
“I started to think about that in terms of a dark side and a light side. One doesn’t exist without the other. It’s part of us all.”
5
“Nobody wants to be bad… Everybody just wants to be good and stand in the light.”
6
7
“There’s something about organized crime that is sort of fascinating. There’s a lot of planning, and an immediacy to it.”
8
“These people are volunteering themselves for the risk.”
9
“Not only is organized crime an area of strong conviction, but I think it’s almost like creating art. The only thing between you and what you want is somebody or a law.”
mg 9585
“THERE’S A TAKING OF WHAT YOU WANT AND USING IT FOR YOUR OWN.”
10
11.1
“CREATION IS A CALCULATED RISK: THERE’S A RESPONSIBILITY IN MAKING OBJECTS.”
11
“Nature in and of itself is so seamlessly perfect, and there’s people who’ve done things over the years that are seamless and perfect and incredibly beautiful.”
12
“WHAT RIGHT DO I HAVE TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO REMAIN AFTER I’M GONE?”
13
“I’ve been working on themes of violence and power for almost 20 years.”
14
“Recently, I’ve been exploring my aboriginal heritage. I’m part Haida from my father’s side but my knowledge of the culture was quite minimal. I became curious about it quite a bit later in life.”
15
“Now being a father… I do sort of wake up every day and think about the kinds of things that my daughter is going to be exposed to and experience through life.”
16
“This 16-foot totem paper sculpture that I made, I called it Pass the Hat. There is a thunderbird and a human-bear and a large space between the two, which is a hat. It’s me passing to my daughter, you know, the hat of the watchman. I’m passing to her my knowledge, our culture, and our history, and in a sense, making her the new custodian of our culture — becoming the watchman.”
17
“As an artist, I’m always thinking of that responsibility of making something that’s not a burden.”
18
“IN A WAY, CREATING ART IS A DIRTY JOB AND SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT.”