Cusp of Duality
2018
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Screenprinting
Tempera Resist
Painting
Drawing
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“The Cusp of Duality” began as a satirization of fallacies in Native American portrayals that transitioned into a reflection on my identity as a biracial, Indigenous person and consumer of design. Shaking with anxiety, I began tackling design prompts that sparked my anger: propaganda posters, the evolution of advertising (Indian Tears and Whole Lotta Baggage), and Native portrayals from an external perspective: Jackson's Circus is a propaganda poster capturing the zeitgeist of the relocation/dehumanization of Natives.
The design process was emotional. I started with these 2D images and transitioned to wearable 2D art. It got personal when I made the jacket, taking baby steps toward examining myself from my Indigeneity (Benally's Jacket). The concept behind BeTwixt is the nonessential categorization between two items that are exactly the same, seaming a contemporary ad with traditional Navajo symbols of duality. Then apparel transitioned to body art, inspired by Sagmeister’s body ads (No Meisters). I went from avoiding my baggage to painting it onto my skin. This forced me to examine my own privilege: I’ve experienced oppression, but still bear the burden of the oppressor. To be biracial is to carry the baggage of two competing cultures fighting for dominance within one's own being; to go from shame to pride in my biracial identity is not something I would have thought possible in 18 weeks. |
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