Sarah Hasted Co Curator of Private Museum Exhibition in Germany
... as if only these pictures would remain
Edward S. Curtis-Will Wilson
ARTWORK Collection Klein
February 5 – July 30, 2023
The KUNSTWERK Collection Klein in Eberdingen-Nussdorf will open the new exhibition "... as if only these pictures would remain" on February 5th.
With two artistic positions about 100 years apart, it conveys different perspectives on the representation and perception of the "Indians" of North America. Around 60 photo engravings, historical photo prints and rare gold tone prints by Edward S. Curtis (1842-1952) are in dialogue with works by Santa Fe-based multimedia artist Will Wilson (*1969), who himself is a member of the Navajo/Diné Nation.
What images do we have in mind when we hear about “the Indians”? At the beginning of the exhibition, the KUNSTWERK initially gives space to the associations and memories of the visitors. Some exhibits provide examples that reflect discussions in the run-up to the project. They refer to the great influence of Karl May's stories, but also to Roger Willemsen, for example, who refers to them with poetic interpretations. Various school classes contribute drawings to the Yakari comic series. The panorama of thoughts can be expanded. The guests of the exhibition are invited to make contributions during the exhibition.
With the historical photo engravings and gold tone prints by Edward S. Curtis, the gaze is initially turned back. During the first three decades of the 20th century, Curtis visited more than 80 Native American nations to capture their culture in words and pictures. He summarized his field research in his 20-volume encyclopedia The North American Indian, which appeared between 1907 and 1930 and was supplemented by folders with selected photographs.
The written notes of Edward S. Curtis, with which he intended to present the ways of life, customs and beliefs of the various indigenous groups in North America in a systematic and differentiated way, are outshined by the impressive, atmospheric effect of his photographs in the further perception of his work. They are painterly images that also testify to Curtis' gift for visual dramaturgy. Faced with the reality of the reservations, increasing assimilation and the influence of modern life, he saw – in agreement with many of his contemporaries – that the culture of the indigenous people of North America was disappearing. So he staged the motifs from his perspective, based on his own idea of what "typically Indian" is. As a photographer, Curtis went beyond the purely documentary in that he created atmospheric images in the tradition of photographic-artistic pictorialism, which basically evoke the conditions before the cultural change through European-American influences.
Santa Fe-based multimedia artist Will Wilson's projects respond to the legacy of Edward S. Curtis from a contemporary, indigenous perspective. In his work, he critically examines the stereotypical pictorial canon that still shapes the perception of Native Americans, their culture and their country today. He takes up traditional pictorial patterns and historical processes of photography, but gives them a contemporary content. By bridging the gap between the past and the present, Wilson is able to take an artistic position that tells of the self-determination of the Native Americans as well as of recent history and the present.
In 2012 Will Wilson started his project "Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (CiPX)". In collaboration with indigenous communities, he invites descendants of those portrayed by Edward S. Curtis to talk about themselves and their view of the tradition of Native American culture that is still alive. For the photographs he takes, Wilson uses the historic technique of tintype. A new understanding of his role as an author is essential. The photographer no longer decides on the pictorial representation – as Curtis once did. All those involved decide for themselves in which clothes, with which attributes their picture is taken and which stories they tell.
The "Talking Tintypes" in the exhibition underline Wilson's position as an artist of the 21st century and the dialogical principle of the "CIPX" project. With an app, video sequences can be called up on the smartphone, which convey personally experienced encounters with the portrayed actors. Image panoramas and video works from Wilson's 2005 series “Auto immune Response” also reflect a contemporary, indigenous position that uses inherited knowledge and the latest technology to address issues of a global dimension.
Valeria Waibel and Sarah Hasted Co Curators