4 minute read
Speaking with Light Contemporary Indigenous Photography
is greeted with a towering wall that features myriad Indigenous nations to be considered and honored throughout. Speaking with Light showcases the evolution of cultural affirmation and institutional AA reclamation and expression of trauma by Indigenous artists, Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography at Amon Carter Museum of American Art touches a bruise that remains tender in 2023. by Bailey Powell Aldrich Citizen of the Navajo Nation, Photography critique in photography through the prolific
Program Head at Santa Fe Community Col- output of young and mid-career artists such lege, artist, and exhibition co-curator Will Wil- as Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock), Sky Hopinka son explains. “Photography has the power to tell (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luamazing stories. It can be generative in the way iseño Indians), Dylan McLaughlin (Diné), it transforms the world around us through light, and Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), along with narration, and the perspectives of the makers.” their generational forebearers, including Shelley Niro (Member of the Six Nations Reserve, Turtle Clan, Bay of Quinte Mohawk), Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk), and Zig Jackson (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara). Brought together, these photographs, videos, three-dimensional works, and digital activations forge a mosaic investigation into identity, resistance, and belonging. More than 70 contemporary photography-based works spotlight the dynamic ways in which 30+ Indigenous artists have leveraged their lenses over the past three decades, reclaiming representation and affirming their existence and perspectives. In a brief introduc- In order to best capture the complexity tion video available on the Carter’s website, of the exhibition’s messaging and the array of
John Rohrbach, the Carter’s Senior Curator Indigenous feelings being expressed, a wide of Photographs and fellow co-curator with breadth of media is represented in Speaking
Wilson, elaborates on the concept. “The art- with Light. In one portion, guests are invited ists in the show share their anger, their frus- to sit in a darkened area as panoramic film of tration, their fears, but also their positive re- landscapes interspersed with hulking indussponses to connecting with their own nations trialization sail by on a wall of white feathand their responsibilities to those nations.” ers. In another room, a sculpture composed of
Before entering the exhibition, the viewer mixed materials leads the eye from the wall
Alan Michelson (Mohawk member of Six Nations of the Grand River) (b. 1953), Mespat, 2001, digital video with sound, turkey feathers, monofilament, and steel cable, sound: Michael J. Schumacher, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution (26/5774), © Alan Michelson
Zig Jackson (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara) (b. 1957), Indian Man on the Bus, Mission District, San Francisco, California, 1994, inkjet print, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, P2021.7, © Zig Jackson Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, North Dakota
All images courtesy of Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Please note, some nation names include special characters unavailable in the featured font.
to an illuminated well, of sorts, with a single oversized eye peering back up at you. Among many milestone works, the sweeping exhibition features acclaimed prints by Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie (Taskigi/Diné), Wendy Red Star (Apsáalooke), and Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangaxˆ); site-responsive installations by Kapulani Landgraf (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi) and Jolene Rickard (Skarù·rę/Tuscarora); and a new large-scale photo weaving by Sarah Sense (Choctaw/Chitimacha), which has been commissioned by the Carter.
Kiliii Yüyan (Nanai/Hèzhé and Chinese-American) (b. 1979), Joy Mask, IK, 2018, inkjet print, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, P2021.41, © Kiliii Yüyan
The exhibition is more than cathartic watershed in a fine art setting for Indigenous populations; it also acts as a revelatory opportunity for the uninitiated. Rohrbach explains. “For non-Indigenous visitors to the show, we hope that the exhibition coaxes them into realizing the issues being faced every day by Indigenous cultures, and the exhibition coaxes them to think differently about their own lives.” Wilson says, “We invite visitors to lean into discomfort and counter-narratives to access a different understanding of our world—one that provides healthier relationships with each other and the earth.” Amon Carter’s Executive Director Andrew J. Walker describes Speaking with Light as just one part of “furthering [The Carter’s] mission to seed critical conversations with the history of American art.”
Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk) (b. 1964), Peyton Grace Rapp, 2017, inkjet print with glass beads, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, P2021.49, © Tom Jones
Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography manages to shout with a whisper and leaves visitors thinking long after departing the museum. It will be on view at the Carter through January 22, 2023, before traveling to the Denver Art Museum. Unable to make it to the museum in person? Explore Speaking with Light from the comfort of your home with a virtual exhibition experience, available on www.cartermuseum.org.
Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit/Unangax) (b. 1979), Get Comfortable, 2012, dye coupler print, Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas, P2021.42, © Nicholas Galanin
For more information about Amon Carter Museum of American Art, turn to “Key Things to Do” on page 12. For museum programming throughout January, refer to “Calendar of Events,” starting on page 18. Admission to the Amon Carter Museum is always free.
