I’ve been working on the writing portion of this project. It’s such a vast topic and it’s difficult to condense it into something readable and connected. But I’m getting there.
I’ve been thinking about the genocide and the land dispossession here in the Rocky Mountains where the Utes/Tabegauche called home. And it’s important for me to acknowledge that the people are still here. They’re not a paragraph in a history book or a simple romantic notion of the past.
It’s a difficult balance to write about and think about. I’m troubled by the white man making “romantic Indian” images. I’ve always wrestled with this topic. Imposing and reinforcing white notions of Native American appearance and cultures can be very problematic for me, and for a lot of indigenous people as well. The United States eradicated almost 90 million indigenous people over a century of colonization in this country. Try to wrap your head and your heart around that. And to think that every treaty made with every tribe was broken by the United States government. It’s wrong. shameful and disgusting.
There’s a really good article at Hyperallergic on Edward Curtis’ work. It’s on display in Michigan. The article is written by Sarah Rose Sharp. Guest curator, Ben Mitchell has a really good quote in the piece, “I’ve come away from this two years of work realizing that history is a very powerful force, because history, when you’re immersed in it, isn’t just looking at the past,” said Mitchell. “History constantly informs the present you’re living in — or it better, if we’re paying attention. But even more than that — and this touches upon why this exhibition is so poignantly timely for the time we live in — history also points us to our future that we’re going to share. We learn from history how to live in our present, and how to plan to live in our future.”
The images in my work act more as symbols for me. They are less literal to me than they appear to be. I’ve often thought about approaching this work as a totally abstract concept. I know I could do it, and I think it would be powerful. However, I know I would lose a lot of viewers that I believe need to see the work and think about the concepts behind it. I don’t really like the idea of “chocolate box” imagery, but this work has a lot of beauty. The land, plants, and everything the Utes/Tabegauche had and used can be seen and experienced here. I do like that idea - that it’s somewhat documentary in nature, but still poetic enough to capture a feeling. I would lose that in a purely conceptual or abstract approach.
Am I happy about the work? Yes, I am. The flora portion is coming to an end and I’m planning out what I want to do next. I think the entire body of work, seen together, in context, will be extremely fulfilling and satisfying. In a lot of ways, it’s easy to make a one-off or maybe two images that work, but it’s beyond challenging to make an entire body of images that work. A body of work that you can defend and is not derivative.
Telling a story, but still leaving room for poetry and mystery in the work is important. That’s what I love about doing this. I really enjoy the challenge, the struggle, if you will. Sometimes, I have days where it all fails, every plate, every print, and every idea, they just don’t work either technically, conceptually, or both. I’ve talked a lot about embracing failure. It’s a very important part of making a successful body of work.
In my last post, I talked about “notoriety” and “money”. I wanted to briefly explain what I was eluding to there. I have no interest in making money or gaining recognition for this, or any other work. Especially now, after 30+ years of doing this, I’m really trying to do something beyond the superficial - something truly meaningful. I don’t care about social media or being published or having exhibitions either. The work will find where it needs to be seen. I’ve been there and done that, as they say.
However, I do care about the people who are interested in my work and what I’m doing. Not for my ego, but for what these ideas might impart to them, the viewer. I want to throw a “pebble in their shoe” and make them think about the things I think about. To address these big questions and wrestle with them as I do. To ask questions about why we treat the “other” the way we do, and what that means for the past, present, and future. I want them to think about being present to their privileges and to help other people with that power, not to hurt them or make things worse. These ideas and desires are at the core of my work.
We are living in very precarious times. The social and political environment is primed for really bad things to happen. I’ve never seen this country so divided. And it doesn’t seem like it can heal. It feels like we’re dangling over a precipice - ready to fall at any moment. Every nation that’s gone through terrible times has always said, “It can’t happen here!” and it did. Don’t ever think that terrible atrocities can’t happen where you are, because they can.
Human beings are always looking for a scapegoat - someone to “other” and to blame for their problems. It’s our nature. We suffer from death denial which creates death anxiety which brings with it terror management (acting on that anxiety). The psychology and history are plain to see. We are driven by this force, for good or bad. The knowledge of our impending death is overwhelming. This is why art is created. Art can help us deal with this anxiety. This is why war is started and why genocide happens, too. It’s the driving force of all human activity. I fully acknowledge my death anxiety and I try to channel it for good. Making art, telling stories, and asking questions about our existence is what I do. I encourage you to watch my YouTube show with Dr. Sheldon Solomon. We talk about art, death anxiety, and terror management theory.
“Man cannot endure his own littleness unless he can translate it into meaningfulness on the largest possible level.” - Ernest Becker, The Denial of Death
