indigenous venus 0841
digital collage 2017 (variable dimensions)
~ featuring a First Nations Venus (cousin of Sandro Botticelli’s in ‘the Birth of Venus’ c 1480’s). This Venus is from the Plains Cree Nation (like Nia), and has our traditional facial tatoo’s. Unlike Botticelli’s Venus, who passively looks away from the viewer, this Native huntress looks right at you, much like she would her prey. Though our territory is largely in the prairies, she’s moved to the east coast, and is appearing against a watery wall in Dumbo, Brookyln (which is right on the shore). The animals she hunts, gathers, and is physically and spiritually sustained by now include sea creatures. Due to her new habitat, habit of ocean spear-fishing, and maleable persona as the subject of an artwork, she’s now getting naked while hunting, a thing she’d be very unlikely to do as a traditional woman back in Cree territory. She’s standing on a (giant) Scaphella junonia shell, and accompanied by the spirits of oysters and scallops (zoological shell drawings by George W. Tryon, Jr c 1873), the traditional fare of her Lenape Nation hosts in NYC. She is also surrunded by a herd of various species of seahorses (zooligical drawings by JJ Kaup c 1856), many of which are now endangered. ~
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