HOW: Engagements with the “Hollywood Indian”
Sarah Sense, Nadya Kwandibens, Walter Kahero:ton Scott, Torry Mendoza, Rosalie Favell
A Space Main Gallery
October 17 – November 21, 2008
Curated by: Ryan Rice
Copresented by: Trinity Square Video and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival
This exhibition explores the legacy of the one-dimensional depictions of Native North Americans developed in film, art and literature, which have become accepted as authentic in the nation’s consciousness, affecting historic truth and contributing to stereotypical notions of Indigenous peoples. In HOW: Engagements with the "Hollywood Indian", the artists either confront the simplistic misconceptions imposed upon an Indigenous collective consciousness, or expose the alluring influence and desire Hollywood has had on Indigenous lives and imagination.
Biographies
Sarah Sense, born and raised in Northern California, is an artist currently living in Santa Fe, NM. She graduated from Parsons School of Design and worked as director/curator at the AICH Gallery in New York City. Her work is represented at the Berlin Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ and Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, NM.
Nadya Kwandibens is of Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) / French heritage from the Northwest Angle #37 First Nation in Ontario, Canada. Identifying mainly with her Ojibwe roots, Nadya is also known as Makoons and is from the Loon Clan. Her practice consists of work in numerous forms of media including: photography, video production, website design and radio.
Walter Kahero:ton Scott was born and raised in the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, and currently resides in nearby Montreal, Quebec. An emerging artist, Scott is studying for a Major in Print Media at Concordia University.
Torry Mendoza, Mescalero Apache, is a video/film maker living in Syracuse, NY. He utilizes film and digital media to approach various aspects of Native American life to contest the negative connotations attributed to Native Americans. He received his MFA from Syracuse University.
Rosalie Favell is an established artist, born and raised in Winnpeg, MB. A photo-based artist, much of her work draws upon her family history and her Métis heritage. She earned a MFA from the University of New Mexico and is currently living in Ottawa completing a PhD in the Cultural Mediations program at Carleton University.
Ryan Rice is a Mohawk of Kahnawake and an independent curator. He received a MA in Curatorial Studies from Bard College, New York, graduated from Concordia University with a BFA, and received an Associate of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts, New Mexico. Rice is co-founder and coordinator of Nation To Nation, and co-founder and director of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective.