Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World
Originally published in Smithsonian’s The Torch, July 2008
The 15 emerging artists showcased in “Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World,” which opened last month in the George Gustav Heye Center at the National Museum of the American Indian, are bold, inventive, and not afraid to shock with their art. The label “post-Indian” was coined to describe people of Native ancestry who are not necessarily united through tribal identity, and the sculptures, paintings, and installations included in the exhibition all deal with this issue in some way. The mediums chosen by these artists are as diverse as the artists themselves, ranging from asphalt and felt, to skateboards and hubcaps.
“’Remix’ offers diverse and challenging interpretations of what it means to be indigenous today,” says NMAI director Kevin Gover (Pawnee/Comanche). Still, a unified message emerges: After being silenced and pressured to assimilate for hundreds of years, this new generation of post-Indian artists is determined to break free from stereotypes, redefine themselves and their communities, and create new traditions that express their collective experience while still honoring the past. “These artists remind us to pay closer attention to the complicated history and culture of the contemporary United Statesas well as Canada and Mexico,” adds John Haworth (Cherokee), director of the George Gustav Heye Center.
“Charting America,” an expansive wall mural featuring mounted wood and cardboard cut-outs by Bernard Williams (African American/Native Ancestry), starts “Remix” off with a bang. Words like “land” and “intimidation” are interspersed among symbols and objects ranging from guns, oil rigs, and guitars. At first glance, the assortment looks chaotic and even random, but upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that nothing about the work is accidental. Williams has created a map of colliding cultures that hints at some of the darker moments from our nation’s history.
Anger seems to have fueled some of the work featured in “Remix.” For example, Hector Ruiz’s (Kickapoo/Mexican/American) politically-charged wood sculpture “God of War” is a six-armed snake whose visage unmistakably resembles George W. Bush. More often, however, humor and irony are employed, perhaps in the hope that laughter will eventually lead to thoughtful conversation. “Playing NDN,” by Alan Natachu (Zuni/Laguna), is especially effective in this respect, with its provocative display of Native American stereotypes in pop culture. An arcade game that cycles through animated caricatures of Native Americans, like Disney’s Pocahontas and Nintendo’s Wild Wolf Chief, “Playing NDN” reveals how far we still have to go in terms of eradicating racism.
A highlight of the exhibition is “Los Mestizos,” a collection of wall-mounted vintage European figurines and pre-Colombian artifacts by Franco Mondini-Ruiz (Tejano/Italian). Juxtaposing icons from classic myths, like La Llorona (the wailing mother), with more everyday characters such as Mariachi musicians, Mondini-Ruiz has arranged the objects in small but poignant tableaus. One scene, labeled “Story Untold,” features a pre-Colombian disembodied head with its mouth being covered by a pale porcelain arm. “Los Mestizos” translates to “The Mutts,” which is a nod to both the artist’s clever fusion of ancient objects with Western miniatures and cultural hybridization, the inevitable by-product of globalization.
Not all the artists in “Remix” approach the theme of post-Indian identity overtly; some, like Anna Tsouhlarakis (Navajo/Creek/Greek), have found a more indirect way to add to the discourse. Tsouhlarakis’ upbeat video “Let’s Dance” reveals dance to be a universal form of communication. Tsouhlarakis dances with thirty partners and each one teaches her a different style, from the polka to the hora. David Hannan (Métis) draws inspiration from the natural world in “Untitled (the hunt/hunted),” a suspended sculpture of deer and coyotes which rotates peacefully above visitors’ heads. The impact of youth culture is considered in Dustinn Craig’s (White Mountain Apache/Navajo) multimedia installation on the high-octane lifestyles of Apache skateboarders.
“Remix” engages both the mind and the senses in its thoughtful exploration of how identity is formed and the relationship between self-expression and communal bonds. It leaves behind a powerful impression and if these artists represent the new wave of post-Indian art, there is much to look forward to in the coming years.
“Remix: New Modernities in a Post-Indian World” is on view through Sept. 21 and was jointly organized by the Heard Museum in Phoenix and NMAI. Joe Baker (Delaware Tribe of Indians) and Gerald McMaster (Plains Cree/Siksika Nation) are the exhibition curators.