The Contemporary Race: challenging disappearance through modernity

Artworks

• Brian Jungen - "Warrior 2" (2017): Nike Air Jor­dans, hide glue, deerskin, 77 x 29 x 24 in. (196 x 74 x 61 cm) (2017) — "Warrior 2" (2018) by Brian Jungen is a life-sized sculpture of a Native American war bonnet composed of cross-sections of Nike Air Jordans, attached via hide glue and deerskin. Sneaker sections shaped like feathers fill the headdress in striking, traditional colors, resembling a lion’s mane and asserting a deep sense of strength and authority. Arranged diagonally like sun rays to point away from the face, the “feathers” gesture towards its wearer and signal to the viewer that the person adorning the bonnet is of immense significance, likely the chief of the tribe. By constructing the piece of scrapped Air Jordans, but connecting them with traditional adhesive in the shape of a war bonnet, Jungen challenges the Western, colonial-based assumption that Native individuals are detached from modern society, or fading out of relevance; this sculpture proves that Native individuals do not have to betray their cultural roots in order to be prominent in the Western world. Built from literal pieces, "Warrior 2" (2018) tells a story of a phoenix race rising from the imperialistic ashes, culminating in a contemporary-traditional blend that demonstrates a deep connection to one’s culture, as well as an acceptance towards merging with the Western world. It takes advantage of a consumer-driven world of obsessive taking, buying, and collecting to give back with a handmade, personal message of Native resilience, and what the sharing of cultures, rather than the exclusion of them, can do.
• Tom Farris - "Custer's Last Hand" (2024): decommissioned and repurposed slot machine, Dimensions 53 × 26 × 20 inches (134.62 × 66.04 × 50.8 cm) (2024) — “Custer’s Last Hand” (2024) by Tom Farris is a repurposed 1970s slot machine that challenges the Westernized understanding of the U.S. vs. Native American “Battle of the Little Bighorn” (1876), as well as reflects on the necessity of compensation for the horrifically violent history that Americans have towards Indigenous folks. The life-sized machine includes titles (with an Indigenous arrow piercing the big “C” in “Custer’s), a patterns key (such as three blue sevens winning “Cultural Preservation”), a list of accepted currency (from bills to land back), and a dish at the bottom to receive your prize (currently holding shells). 3-D buttons and a real wood arm on the side make this machine appear to be working, adding another layer of meaning as the piece directly asks its audience to play for themselves. Receiving land back or sovereignty whether you win or lose (as written on the machine) implies that the audience for this piece is mixed; the ultimate demand for recompense to Native Americans for their treatment by colonizers is necessary regardless of the viewer’s identity or background. “Custer’s Last Hand” (2024) reflects on a relevant issue that continues to weigh on our society to this day—is there any way our country can ever make up for how it treated the people native to this land, and in the meantime, what can we do to extend compassion to those we’ve hurt while eliminating ignorance on the topic as a whole?
• Andy Everson - "Northern Warrior" (2015): acrylic-painted Star Wars stormtrooper helmet replica (unclear origin), with painted maple wood conical hat
• Jonathan Thunder - "Quarantine at Gramma's House" (2020): acrylic on canvas
• Jefferey Veregge - "Of Gods and Heroes" (2018): made in Adobe Illustrator, part of a print on two 50 ft murals