The beauty of color and design are on full display in the exhibition Through the Kaleidoscope at Exhibit C Native Gallery & Gifts in Oklahoma City. The artwork—from artists Marwin Begaye (Navajo), Michael Elizondo Jr. (Southern Cheyenne), Kristin Gentry (Choctaw), Gilmore Scott (Navajo) and Tony Tiger (Muscogee/Sac & Fox Tribe of Oklahoma/Seminole)—dives into patterns and traditional motifs but with contemporary approaches. There is a focus on two-dimensional pieces, such as paintings, drawings or prints, as well as artwork that may have mixed media components.
The gallery worked with the tourism group Chickasaw Country, a division of the Chickasaw Nation, for this exhibition. “This exhibit will feature pieces inspired by the patterns found in more traditional First American crafts and translated to the more contemporary media of painting,” says Paige William Shepherd, director of corporate development and tourism for Chickasaw Nation, in a press release. “The blend of both will be a fantastic experience for many.
Tony Tiger (Muscogee/Sac & Fox Tribe of Oklahoma/Seminole), Yellow Earth People: Sauk My Grandmother’s People, monoprint of etching, serigraph and hand-painted stencil on Rives BFK paper, 22 x 15"
Kristin Gentry (Choctaw), Tohwikeli, mixed media on wood panel, 8 x 8"
In her piece Tohwikeli, “to give light,” Gentry uses acrylic mixed media on cradled wood with washi. “This piece has parts of the wooden canvas removed (the geometric patterning) and washi paper has been filled in into the negative spaces,” says Gentry. “I use positive and negative geometric shapes to create patterns reflective of my Southeastern Choctaw tribal culture. Light can shine through or be illuminated with an LED light.”
Michael Elizondo Jr. (Southern Cheyenne), In One Accord, Prismacolor on Bristol, 22 x 20"
Yellow Earth People: Sauk My Grandmother’s People, by Tiger, is from his series Grand Weaver, “which visually explores the intersection of time, place and individuals that affect human life,” he says. “This series of prints is subjective to my tribe’s, family and personal experience. It’s important to express firsthand knowledge to correct stereotypes. In the piece there is a photo etching of maternal grandfathers three-times removed, a Sauk leader and a photo of me at the age of 15 running track on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota taken by my father. Tribal designs of my three tribes are interwoven across the picture plane symbolic of time and place.”
Through the Kaleidoscope will be on view until February 28.
Exhibit C Native Gallery & Gifts
Through February 28, 2021
1 E. Sheridan, Suite 100, Oklahoma City, OK 73104,
(405) 767-8900, www.exhibitcgallery.com
Powered by Froala Editor
