#26

Which images come to mind, when we hear on the one hand about “the Indians” and on the other hand about “native Americans”? Even the different names for the first Americans evoke different mental scenarios. You probably initially think of childhood games, books, films with Winnetou and Old Shatterhand as the heroes, or – like today’s children – tales of Yakari that are familiar from comic films. The second term reflects a different, contemporary perspective, one of which there are far fewer pictures than of the former.
Shaped over a long period, where do the notions of “the Indians” come from? How are they viewed from the perspective of a present-day indigenous position? In the exhibition ... als würden allein diese Bilder bleiben (…As if Only These Pictures Remained), KUNSTWERK allows historical and contemporary photographs to speak. It creates a dialogue between the photogravure, photographic and goldtone prints of Edward S. Curtis (1868 – 1952) and the works – presented in Western Europe for the first time – of multimedia artist Will Wilson (*1969), who lives in Santa Fe and is himself a member of the Navajo/Diné nation.