Metaphor, Myth, & Politics: Art from Native Printmakers
Metaphor, Myth, & Politics: Art from Native Printmakers is a traveling exhibition that features the paper works of Native American and Indigenous artists. I recently visited this exhibition while it is on view at the California Museum, in Sacramento; and it features 36 contemporary works by 29 artists, exclusively from the UC Davis' C.N. Gorman Museum.
The emphasis on this exhibition showcases some of the the styles of contemporary Native printmakers of California and other parts of the world, and the collection has been part of the Gorman Museum since its beginnings in the 1970s and has grown continually with contributions from artists and collectors. As the Gorman Museum is reputed for "artistic excellence", the exhibition showcases exemplary works of well established, and newer generations of Native and indigenous artists.
These exemplary works of contemporary art set the tone for much of the exhibition and highlight the talents of the artists. Typically, I tend to be somewhat unimpressed by a lot of indigenous works as I find them to be overly monotonous of dull earth tones, and peculiar symbolism. While there is a great deal of symbolism and political statements in these artworks, any viewer can appreciate them simply for art's sake.
And while I may have some objections about older styles of art, this exhibition focuses on contemporary artists and their environments and experiences, with the majority of artists being born before 1970, and continuing with their cultural symbolism and naturalistic themes. What is different here is their use of rich and vibrant colors; thus providing quality, that is reflected in their works, as well as their use of modern symbolism and intersections. Intersections like, nature + nuclear power; and symbolism like, culture, community that work well as a collage, but not always in real life.
Metaphor, Myth, & Politics: Art from Native Printmakers is on view at the California Museum thru April 23.
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