Something to Do with Being Held
2019 - Painting (Painting)
101.6 x 101.6 cm
Jordan Ann Craig
Something To Do With Being Held by Jordan Ann Craig is inspired by a Cheyenne bead bag. Intrigued by the two shades of blue used for the source object (a deep dusty blue and a bold vivid cobalt blue) the artist replicated these shades in her painting. Craig then added in her own colors, including the pink-orange hues, to achieve a bold but soft quality about the work, as she states that she intended the work to convey vulnerability. A rectangle with a broad, horizontal line through it is the Cheyenne symbol for coyote tracks. Utilizing this symbol on a large scale, and translating a small three-dimensional artifact into a large painting, Craig transforms the original source object into one that engages with the history of modernism, as well as Indigenous culture. The resulting image not only evinces the patterns of the bead bag, but also the history of minimalism. Whereas the original object has all the imperfections of the handmade, the final composition, created using digital aids, has an intentionally impersonal appearance, even though it is hand-painted. Pattern is important to Craig, as it is a way of creating and communicating new stories about historical Indigenous art. The pattern on the bead bag, once translated to a large canvas, is more redolent of a blanket; a protective object to counterbalance the vulnerable sensibility of the work.
Jordan Ann Craig is a Northern Cheyenne artist born and raised in the Bay Area; she invests her work with a strong interest in Indigenous culture and the history of its destruction by settlers. Working in series, the artist tells eclectic stories of forgetting how to sleep, her relationships with her sisters, the life of an unlucky ladybug, and the translation of language and dreams. Craig makes drawings of Indigenous objects and then digitally enhances the drawings by creating designs that help predict the final outcome of the work. Much of the creative process occurs through technology; the actual painting becomes a matter of execution and precision, offering a contemporary perspective in seeing and understanding Indigenous design. Craig writes, “my work is often beautiful, masking ugly histories. I keep Indigenous textiles, beads, and pottery, Aboriginal paintings, and landscapes in my periphery when I make art.” The artist’s process is meticulous and meditative, often obsessive in mark and repetition.
Colors:
Related works sharing similar palette
© » KADIST
Raymond Pettibon
The five drawings included in the 101 Collection are representative of Pettibon’s characteristic cartoonish style...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
What to expect from the Repertory Philippines stage in 2019 (via Rappler) | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Articles Photo by Steph Arnaldo/Rappler December 27, 2018 MANILA, Philippines – Theater junkies of all ages will be happy to know that our local theater scene has some top-notch stage entertainment up its talented sleeve for everyone to enjoy in 2019...
© » KADIST
Annette Kelm
2013Percent for Art is seemingly concerned with “art enrichment” by state or city arts agencies role in it, managing the artist rosters, maintaining public art collections, commissioning artworks, selecting installation sites, among other things for aesthetic and cultural enhancement in both public and private real estate developments...
© » ARTS EQUATOR
Podcast 77: Fika and Fishy by Patch and Punnet | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Viewpoints February 27, 2020 In this latest podcast episode, Nabilah Said, Matthew Lyon and Naeem Kapadia discuss the recent production of Fika and Fishy by Patch and Punnet, the collective’s first production for the year about the friendship between a dog and a fish...
© » KADIST
Antonio Caro
2016Juego de Banderas (a play on words that loosely translates to both set of flags and game of flags) is a triptych of modified Colombian flags by Antonio Caro...
© » FRANCE24
Must-see Paris exhibitions 2024: Abstract artist Fiona Rae's messages - arts24 Skip to main content Must-see Paris exhibitions 2024: Abstract artist Fiona Rae's messages Issued on: 23/01/2024 - 15:57 13:25 arts24 © FRANCE 24 By: Jennifer BEN BRAHIM | Marion CHAVAL | Magali FAURE | Eve JACKSON Follow | Loïc CHALAVON 1 min In this edition of arts24, Eve Jackson is joined by one of the most important abstract painters of her generation...
© » KADIST
Alejandro Marré
2007Typical Weapons is a series of sculptural interventions where Alejandro Marre transforms traditional Guatemalan craft objects usually sold as souvenirs into weapons...
© » KADIST
Fabien Giraud & Raphael Siboni
– In which a storm breaks out in a computing division and its simulation is turned inside out – Fourth episode of The Unmanned series, “The Uncomputable” is the story of a failure: the building in the northern plains of Scotland of a giant climate prediction factory by meteorologist Lewis Fry Richardson...
© » DAZED DIGITAL
2023: The year of the girl | Dazed â¬…ï¸ Left Arrow *ï¸âƒ£ Asterisk â Star Option Sliders âœ‰ï¸ Mail Exit Life & Culture Dazed Review 2023 From Barbie to the Eras Tour to girl dinner, girliness and girly aesthetics have dominated pop culture this year – but why? 12 December 2023 Text Jess Bacon Girldom has dominated pop culture this year...