The 11 artists featured in the Paseo Plunge gallery this July are all committed to representing Native people in unique—and accurate—ways. More than that, however, these artists are impacting audiences through popular (pop) culture.
(image: Live Long and Prosper (Spock Was a Half-Breed) by Debra Yepa-Pappan)
I saw this show last Friday and it blew me away.
Pop art/street art is often just tired, shallow variations of the same Warhol rip-offs, but everything here was fresh, relevant, and direct.
Sly humor, bright colors, and cartoon characters were perfectly juxtaposed with history and activism about Native genocide, persecution, and erasure. Re-appropriating pop culture and modern art iconography to highlight Native figures and culture makes much more effective commentary than typical, pseudo-activist Banksy imitations, but alongside all of the anti-colonialist critique was an overwhelming sense of celebration for the Native voices that contribute to and participate in modern American culture.
