Description
Many Nations, Under One, All Invisible explores the complex and often overlooked history of the United States’ founding, where the creation of a single nation came at the expense of more than 500 Indigenous nations. In the work, a Native figure is concealed beneath a hanging American flag, a visual metaphor for how Indigenous peoples were rendered invisible in the nation’s narratives of freedom and progress. The flag, while symbolizing unity and independence for some, here becomes a veil — covering histories of land dispossession, broken treaties, and erasure. The piece asks viewers to confront the tension between national pride and the silenced stories of Native communities who have persisted for millennia on Turtle Island.
Dennis’ composition emphasizes presence through absence. The figure’s concealment under the flag transforms invisibility into a statement of endurance and resilience, asserting that Indigenous people were never truly absent, even when hidden in historical narratives. By situating the body in dialogue with the symbol of the nation, the work reflects on both the weight of centuries of colonialism and the ongoing assertion of sovereignty. It encourages audiences to consider how recognition, visibility, and reconciliation can be enacted today, reminding us that the foundations of the United States rest upon the lands and lives of those often rendered “all invisible.”
