Alejandro Beltran Cordero and TZINTZUN from the Talking Wings Collective - Photo by Blake Lavia
Water flows in rivers and streams, in arteries and veins. It flows around us and through us. From raindrops to vast oceans, from the largest tree to the smallest pollinator, we are all part of its currents. The water moves through rivers, ancient beings that guard the stories of the living organisms that inhabit their banks and water. In the exhibition Water and Origin: Protecting and Honoring the First Storyteller, artists from across Turtle Island/North America explore these vital narratives. Through video, painting, quilting, and ceramics, artists share the cultural memories of their communities and the importance of protecting these waterways.
The artists included the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk quilter Iakonikonriiosta, Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk ceramicist Katsitsionni Fox, the Mazatec art/farming collective Kjoaetzen, and the dancers/filmmakers Blake Lavia and TZINTZUNI, from the Talking Wings Collective. The artist couple Blake Lavia and TZINTZUN also serve as the exhibitions curators, visibly weaving together the different pieces. Through contemporary dance and videography, they delve into the environmental history of the Kaniatarowanénhne/St. Lawrence River Watershed on traditional Haudenosaunee territory and at the Antigua Watershed of Veracruz, Mexico, Totonac/Nahua Territory.
Bellow you can see documentation of the selected screenings as well of the three videos that made of this exhibition.
"Three Sisters Seed Pot" by Katsitsionni Fox
Kjoaetzen Collective
"Tsi Kiontahsawen" by Iakonkikonriiosta
THE PROJECTIONS & SREENINGS
The exhibition took the form of a series of three outdoor projections, hosted by the Richard F. Brush Gallery, and a Window Exhibition/Screening at The TAUNY Center (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York).
WATER & ORIGIN: PART 1
Water, as the origin of all things...
This first installment explores the concept of origin and beginnings. The artists included in the first single channel video projection are: Iakonikonriiosta, Katsitsionni Fox and the Talking Wings. Their work flows through and with the waterways of the Kaniatarowanénhne / St. Lawrence River Watershed (Haudenosaunee Territory). Together they explore the sacred body of water, the source of all life and creation.
WATER & ORIGIN: PART 2
Water, land and growth...
The second installment explores the nourishing power of waterways. The artists included in the first single channel video projection are: Katsitsionni Fox and the Talking Wings. As the artists collaboratively delve into the rivers of the region, their art speaks of seedlings, growth, and the flourishing of our collective futures.
WATER & ORIGIN: PART 3
Protecting this sacred resource...
This last and final installment moves from exploration to action. The artists involved in these actions of art/resistance are the artists/growers from the Kjoaetzen Collective and the Talking Wings Collective.
The Kjoaetzen Collective is formed primarily of Mazatec artists who are focused on rekindling a connection with age old agricultural traditions in the "Sierra Mazateca," inspiring communities to return to the land. Their paintings are edited together with dance pieces filmed in the "Rio de los Pescados," in the Antigua Watershed, Veracruz, Mexico. There, the movement artists from the Talking Wings Collective (Alejandro Beltran Cordero, Blake Lavia y TZINTZUN) embodied the waters that have been successfully protected from large scale hydroelectric projects by the PUCARL Collective (Pueblos Unidos de la Cuenca de la Antigua por Rios Libres).
For more pictures and information about the artists involved and their stories, please visit the projects website:
Richard F. Brush Art Gallery
The TAUNY Center
