I am a Klamath/Modoc woman named after a Klamath mythological character, Kaila (pronounced Ka-EE-la), who represents creation, the earth, and the land. I identify as bi-cultural, growing up in Oregon with cultural and spiritual ties to the inter-tribal native community. I am inspired from the movements and actions of the generations before me, being raised with a spirit of resilience that lives on, from Captain Jacks band of Modocs to the activism of native culture in the 1960s and 70s. It is my natural thought process to critique the institutions of dominant society and question the colonizers mindset and authority. Conceptually I move from this plateau of thinking into my artistic practice.
I work with a variety of media primarily painting, printmaking, drawing, and collage.
These paintings and prints develop a dialogue with the viewer about the continual Native American Holocaust and how the subsequent loss of cultural identity has directly affected the experience of contemporary indigenous peoples. Through tackling these cultural and societal issues I aim to re-interpret the pre-dominant Americans view of history, allowing the indigenous psyche to transcend historical trauma so to continue cultural, and spiritual healing. My artwork transforms the images and words that have been used to colonize, romanticize, and stereotype the reality of native peoples continued struggle and activism, while preserving the current spirit of resilience with expressive mark making and vibrant colors.
For example, in the painting Meeting the Romantacized Maqlaq: From the Portrait of a Klamath Woman by Edward Curtis, I re-appropriated the black and white photograph taken of a woman from my tribe in 1923, and reclaimed the stereotypical image of the tragic vanishing race. Using oil paints on canvas I rendered the image in vibrant colors, creating another precious image the viewer could immortalize. Then I harshly painted over this with thick white oil paint, redacting the original intention of the Curtis Legacy, leaving traces of the rendered under painting. The final layer is an oil bar sketch that captures the essence and spirit of this woman, overlaying a rough, yet poignant portrait of the modern Native American psyche. This is the psyche of post-generational historical trauma that is still emerging, which appreciates and prides itself on the resilience our people have preserved against constant euro-centric dominance against an indigenous paradigm for over 500 years. This piece conjures the feeling of historical layering found in Berlin Wall art and the multiple-layers of meaning found in ephemeral street art.
As an artist I aim to facilitate a personal journey of decolonization, an essential process for true activism in the 21st century. My focus is to bridge ancestral memory to the people, which is attained by creative intuitive hash marks and symbols that represent remembering. I am exploring a contemporary, indigenous perspective grounded in subconscious memory that is informed by societys invisible history of Native America, re-imagined for today.
