Description
In Did You Hear That?, Jeremy Dennis crafts a surreal, psychologically charged scene that distills settler paranoia into a single moment of nocturnal fear. A woman lies in bed, gun drawn and eyes wide, pointing into the darkness as if sensing an intruder. Yet the threat she imagines is already present: a Native figure leans in, whispering into her ear. Drawing on the motif of skeletons whispering in classical art — memento mori reminders of mortality — Dennis replaces the specter of death with the haunting presence of history. The Indigenous figure is not breaking in but already in the house, quietly asserting a truth long denied: this land was never empty.
This dreamlike confrontation flips the script of invasion and possession. The woman’s fear mirrors a broader cultural anxiety — the settler fear of being held accountable, of past and present colliding. The gun, a symbol of self-defense, becomes a futile gesture against an unshakable truth. In this intimate domestic space, Dennis explores how the myth of ownership unravels, revealing the deep unease at the heart of the American home. Did You Hear That? invites viewers to listen — not for danger, but for memory — whispering just out of sight, already inside.
Artwork Details
Title: Did You Hear That?
Year: 2025
Medium: Archival Inkjet Print
Size: 20 x 24 inches
Edition: 1/10
