Toronto design studio Underline was invited to curate and design an issue of the Wayward Arts series of publications celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. The studio say they “used the opportunity to interrogate the country’s often-glossed-over history and ongoing relationship with indigenous people”.

On its surface, the issue appears to be a tribute to Canada’s majestic landscapes, courtesy of photographs by Joanne Ratajczak. However, perforated lines on each spread invite the reader to dig a little deeper. Once the pages are torn, the reader is confronted with a haunting poem by Nishnaabeg writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson that challenges Canadians’ presumption to ownership and use of the land. The poetry is paired with facts on issues ranging from the disregard of treaty rights, to residential schools, lack of drinking water and inflated incarceration rates for indigenous peoples, challenging the reader to engage with the ‘hidden history’ of Canada.

View all the winning work from The Annual 2018 here.

Entrant/Design Studio: Underline Studio. Designer: Mark Neil Balson. Creative Directors: Fidel Peña and Claire Dawson. Client: Flash Reproductions. Photographer: Joanne Ratajczack. Copywriter: Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Elizabeth Brandt. Printer: Flash Reproductions.