Humour and grief meet in My Bones Are Funny, Sometimes They Ache, a new multimedia solo exhibition by Chipewyan (Dënesųłīné) artist Jake Kimble. Through photography, video, self-portraiture, beadwork, and prints, the exhibition explores memory, healing, and the complicated ways laughter can exist alongside loss.
The phrase “ache in one’s bones” carries both humour and grief, youth and age. The exhibition title captures this doubleness: the funny bone, known for laughter and pain, also points to the aching bone, a reminder of time passing, and the certainty of change. To ache is to feel deeply.
Emma Hassencahl-Perley, Curator of Indigenous Art at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, says:
“This photography exhibition talks about the sometimes painful process of growing up and getting older. Growing old is a privilege, yes, and I think another privilege is the ability to reflect on one’s past behaviours, thoughts, and feelings with grace. What I love about Jake Kimble’s work is how vulnerable they are in sharing glimpses of painful experiences, and yet they still find joyful moments in the everyday. This is the artist’s very first institutional solo exhibition, and I believe viewers will see a real and raw side of the shining star that is Jake Kimble.”
My Bones Are Funny, Sometimes They Ache is on view at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, Fredericton until October 11, 2026.
