Nicholas Galanin, Save the Cultures
Nicholas Galanin
1979-
Tlingit/Unangax̂
Alternative Name
Silver Jackson
Date
2013
Medium Specific
Laser engraved woodcut with screen printing
Printer
Map(ping) Project
Classification
Print
Dimensions
19 x 15 in. (48.3 x 38.1 cm)
Accession Number
2013.25.20.03
Credit
Partial gift of the ASU Map(ping) Project
Memo / Artist Statement
Culture is rooted in connection to land; like land, culture cannot be contained. I am inspired by generations of Tlingit & Unangax̂ creative production and knowledge connected to the land I belong to. From this perspective I engage across cultures with contemporary conditions.
My process of creation is a constant pursuit of freedom and vision for the present and future. Using Indigenous and non-Indigenous technologies and materials I resist romanticization, categorization and limitation. I use my work to explore adaptation, resilience, survival, active cultural amnesia, dream, memory, cultural resurgence, connection to and disconnection from the land.
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c7DB1fFxsrjGPA4x41xH5y_lzWwVYVeQ2D_hoGzGtpY/edit, 2020)
My process of creation is a constant pursuit of freedom and vision for the present and future. Using Indigenous and non-Indigenous technologies and materials I resist romanticization, categorization and limitation. I use my work to explore adaptation, resilience, survival, active cultural amnesia, dream, memory, cultural resurgence, connection to and disconnection from the land.
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c7DB1fFxsrjGPA4x41xH5y_lzWwVYVeQ2D_hoGzGtpY/edit, 2020)
Biography
Born in Sitka, Alaska, Nicholas Galanin has struck an intriguing balance between his origins and the course of his practice. Having trained extensively in ‘traditional’ as well as ‘contemporary’ approaches to art, he pursues them both in parallel paths. His stunning bodies of work simultaneously preserve his culture and explore new perceptual territory. Galanin studied at the London Guildhall University, where he received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts with honors in Jewelry Design and Silversmithing and at Massey University in New Zealand earning a Master’s degree in Indigenous Visual Arts. Valuing his culture as highly as his individuality, Galanin has created an unusual path for himself. He deftly navigates “the politics of cultural representation”, as he balances both ends of the aesthetic spectrum. With a fiercely independent spirit, Galanin has found the best of both worlds and has given them back to his audience in stunning form. (Artist’s website)
Date of Bio