Rise

Rise project delves into the lingering fear of Indigenous people in the United States, a fear rooted in historical atrocities such as the Pequot Massacre and King Philip’s War. These events are not mere footnotes in history but pivotal moments that underscore the cruelty enacted on Indigenous peoples, including the theft of land, the forced enslavement of Indigenous peoples into slavery, and the massacre of women and children. The Pequot Massacre of 1637, a pre-dawn attack on Mystic Fort, saw the death of around 500 Pequot tribe members, marking a brutal chapter in the history of colonization. King Philip’s War, led by Wampanoag Sachem (elected chief) Metacom, known as King Philip, was a fierce rebellion against English authority that ended in bloodshed, with King Philip’s head displayed on a spike in the entrance of Plymouth, Massachusetts, for decades as a grim reminder of the conflict.

These historical events, often portrayed as the decisive end to Native resistance in the Northeastern United States, are, in reality, chapters in a story of resilience and adaptation. Indigenous peoples did not vanish following these conflicts; they have persevered, often invisibly, thriving as sovereign nations and communities in a land that continues to overlook their presence.

Rise reflects upon this ongoing subtle fear, not from the perspective of Indigenous peoples as relics of the past but as sovereign entities who have withstood the test of colonization for centuries.  The series references the aftermath of colonization, marked by military and land-deed neutrality, cultural assimilation, and people hiding in plain sight.

The project uses the rise of the zombie motif in popular culture as a compelling lens to explore the fear of Indigenous uprising. In this context, zombies symbolize the historically demonized image of Native Americans as “savages” threatening colonial expansion. Drawing inspiration from academic connections, the American cultural obsession with zombies to fears rooted in the colonial portrayal of Native peoples, Rise appropriates the aesthetics of a zombie apocalypse. Here, the gory zombie figure is replaced with the image of the American Indian—whose mere presence has historically been a source of terror.

The images within Rise envision a speculative future uprising, blending the fears of non-Indigenous people with the cultural imagination of Native survival. The series confronts the lingering fear of Indigenous resistance through humor and unsettling juxtapositions while highlighting the absurdity of such anxieties in a contemporary world.

Ultimately, Rise is not a prediction of another great war between Americans and Native Americans but rather an exploration of the persistent fear of an uprising, a haunting echo of the colonial imagination. By bringing this fear to light through art, Rise creates a space to grapple with historical injustices, cultural misrepresentation, and the resilience of Indigenous nations, offering a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for recognition and sovereignty.

Available Works from Rise

Wake, 2019 $10,000.00 A Dream of Neighbors and Evil Spells, 2019 $8,000.00 Native Guide, 2021 $8,000.00 Sunksquaw Sunrise, 2019 $8,000.00 They Came Back, 2017 $8,000.00 Pizza Box, 2018 $5,000.00 I Could Stand Here All Night, 2021 $4,500.00 Offering, 2019 $4,250.00

Browse all Rise editions