“This show is a constellation of artists who aren’t asking for permission,” says Jaime Herrell (Cherokee Nation), co-curator of the upcoming group exhibition New Mythos, opening August 14 at Cara Romero Studio + Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “We’re curating a space for intimate themes such as language, displacement, survivance, loss, love and humor, where everything and everyone is represented on their own terms.”
Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation), Untitled from Sacredness of Hills series, 2021, archival inkjet print, 30 x 40 in. Jeremy Dennis, Shinnecock Indian Nation © Courtesy of the artist Jeremy Dennis
The dynamic collection, curated alongside gallery founder Cara Romero (Chemehuevi), features both shining and rising stars in contemporary Native art, providing space for eight artists from diverse backgrounds working across varied media.
“Sharing our Indigenous-owned space, curating and dealing our own work, feels like a new beginning,” Romero says. “Masters, established artists and emerging artists are showing together here. There’s no pretense, no gatekeeping, just a wealth of fine art and intergenerational support.”
Bonny Melendez (Peruvian diaspora), Grandma’s Atelier from Time In Between Series, 2025, archival print, 18 x 14 in. Bonny Melendez © Courtesy of the artist Bonny Meneldez
Gracing the gallery walls will be photography by Shelley Niro (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte), Kent Monkman (Fisher River Cree Nation), Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation), Bonny Melendez (Peruvian diaspora) and Cara Romero (Chemehuevi). Adding depth and breadth to the exhibition are ceramics by Diego Romero (Cochiti) and Robert King (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), along with mixed media artwork by Leah Mata Fragua (yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini, Northern Chumash).
“This convergence of voices from all these different walks of life is a spectacle in and of itself,” Herrell says. “Each artist is navigating and presenting their relationship with the memories and myths they carry, exploring how to serve as contemporary keepers of stories that have been inherited, adapted, interrupted, reclaimed and reenvisioned.”
Shelley Niro (Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte), Flying Woman #6,1994, Epson pigment print, 13½ x 20 in. © 2025 Shelley Niro Artists Rights Society NY.
Though the artwork remains under wraps, it’s clear from both the mission behind New Mythos and its roster of participating artists that the exhibition promises resonance, revelation and a rare convergence of talent that speaks volumes before a single piece is revealed.
“We have a caliber of artists in New Mythos that you simply don’t get to see anywhere else, even top galleries in the country,” says Romero. “For artists in this echelon, their work is not only beautiful to look at, it’s attractive and compelling across cultures and identities. When you can harness attention like that, whether through photography, ceramics, baskets or innovative mixed media, you can tell any story you want, any way you want.”
In curating an exhibition grounded in cultural authorship, Romero and Herrell are carving out a sovereign space for nuanced expression where depth and meaning aren’t compromised for ease of consumption.
Jeremy Dennis (Shinnecock Indian Nation), Untitled from Sacredness of Hills series, 2021, archival inkjet print, 30 x 40 in. Jeremy Dennis, Shinnecock Indian Nation © Courtesy of the artist Jeremy Dennis.
As Herrell puts it, “There’s a tendency for people to want Native art to be either hyper-traditional or hyper-contemporary. That’s the non-Native gaze wanting our art to be easily digestible. This show holds many visual contradictions, intentional moments meant to compel the viewer to sit with the complexity of the work and allow it to breathe. New Mythos wasn’t built to explain contemporary Indigeneity. It was built to live inside it.”
The public opening reception for New Mythos is scheduled for August 14, from 4 to 8 p.m., and the exhibition will be on display through September 19. —
Cara Romero Photography Studio + Gallery
August 14-September 19, 2025
333 Montezuma Avenue, Suite 5, Santa Fe, NM 87501, www.cararomero.com
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