Armory Contemporary 2023: Preview

HINUSHI IS A PHOTO-WEAVING SERIES OF LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHS AND MAPS.

THE BLUE ALLOTMENT MAPS WERE CREATED AFTER CHOCTAW REMOVAL TO OKLAHOMA (COURTESY OF THE CHOCTAW CULTURAL CENTER) AND ARE WOVEN THROUGH BROKEN BOW, OKLAHOMA LANDSCAPES, WHERE OUR FAMILY WAS RELOCATED AFTER THE TRAIL OF TEARS, WHERE MY GRANDMA CHILLIE GREW UP, AND WHERE OUR COUSIN, FRED BRAY, CONTINUES TO LIVE AND LOVE THE LAND. CHOCTAW BASKET PATTERNING IS FROM A BASKET GIFTED TO ME BY MY GRANDMA CHILLIE IN 2012.

THE HANDWRITING AND MAPPING ARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF LEWIS AND CLARK'S ORIGINAL JOURNALS, TAKEN DURING MY ARCHIVE RESEARCH AT THE ST. LOUIS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. OTHER LANDSCAPES ARE OF LAKE TAHOE NEAR WHERE I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. MY SON, ARCHIE, IS DISCRETELY WOVEN INTO EACH PANEL AS HE STANDS IN THE BROKEN BOW LANDSCAPE, AND IS THEN WOVEN INTO TAHOE, REFLECTING ON CONNECTION AFTER RELOCATION.

SARAH SENSE, CHOCTAW / CHITIMACHA

So' (Stars) is a series of works that are an abstraction of keyáh (land) through the progress of Chemigram photography. What is depicted is the essence of power within keyáh (land), to be united with Dinétah (Navajo homeland), and what it means to be Diné (Navajo). Through this immersion, I recall the relationship and a spiritual connection to the sacred, a representation of my ancestors through symbolic design elements. These symbols are Na'ashjé'íí Asdzáá (Spider Woman), Dził (Mountain), Tsił nó’ołí' (Whirling Log), and Dįį́ʼ́ (Four), which are inherently embedded within the land while also constantly shifting. 

So' was created when I spoke with my grandfather about the importance of our traditional stories and how they are only told during specific times, especially during winter. These stories are carried on through the stars and can be seen in our designs and weavings. So' is a translation of those prevalent designs that have influenced not only individual weavers but also a younger generation to understand better what it means to be connected to our stories and how to carry them on.

The Chemigram process is similar to painting, in which every print is unique and one of a kind. Within each series, there are 40 prints, each individualized by different textures and designs created within the piece itself. It is similar to the Diné philosophy of how we are all connected. So even though we have our own thoughts and memories, altogether, we create a collective identity and our belief of going back into the land and being as one within nááda'iiniihgóó (place). 

Dakota Mace/ Diné Artist

Deborah Willis, Harry Belafonte, Romare Bearden, James Baldwin, Bob Marley, Maya Angelou, Kathleen Cleaver, Aretha Franklin, Sidney Poitier, Nelson Mandela, Roy DeCarava, Betty Shabaaz, Faith Ringgold, Shirley Chisholm, John Henrik Clark, Nelson Mandela