crash[blank]: April 2010

Friday, April 23, 2010

n8v now

reprinted from alibi v.19 no.16 | april 22 - 28, 2010

n8v now: young artists and the new school

By Samara Alpern

“Bounty Hunter and Trickster Encounter,” painting by Ryan Singer

Though it’s not widely known, Boba Fett is an important figure in Native American art. At least, he is in the art of Ryan Singer. Originally from Tuba City, Ariz., in Navajo country, the Albuquerque artist is working on a portrait of the infamous Star Wars bounty hunter, armed and gunning for the viewer, alongside a wolf haloed by the Fett insignia.

Mural by Marc Quetone and David Abeyta

Home to the largest powwow in the country, Albuquerque is also an emerging crossroads for nontraditional Native American artists like Ryan Singer and his cousin Monty Singer.
Monty Singer says pop icons belong in the vernacular of a Diné artist: “We’re a newer generation, influenced by Star Wars and punk music.”
Coinciding with the 27th Annual Gathering of Nations are two art exhibitions featuring contemporary work by Native artists: Wrestling with Paint at the 3rd Street Arts space will present the work of Monty and Ryan Singer. Black Market Goods will host a battery of Native photographers, animators, fashion designers, and graffiti and visual artists for its annual show, Injunuity. Both exhibitions open on Friday, April 23.