EXHIBITION
The Commons Gallery
May 27 – June 9, 2015
Gallery talk + reception
Wednesday, May 27, 12:00-1:00 pm, The Commons Gallery
SECRETS IN LIFE AND DEATH is an exhibition of work by Cheyenne/Arapaho artist HOCK AYE VI Edgar Heap of Birds. The four sets of 16 monoprints were created in four different shades of blue in reference to the sacred blue sky and the significant spirit of water. In this work he addresses issues of indigenous peoples, personal emotions, sentiments on tribal survival, and sensual thoughts. His concerns of institutional collection, storage, and conservation of native art objects are the focus of his works TALK INDIAN SPEAK WAIT DOWN STAIRS and HAPPY TO DONATE WHAT YOU TOOK.
Edgar Heap of Birds is a multi-disciplinary artist who has presented his works at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art; National Museum of the American Indian; Smithsonian Institution; University Art Museum, Berkeley, California; LewAllen Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico; The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia; Documenta, Kassel, Germany; Orchard Gallery, Derry, Northern Ireland; Association for Visual Arts Museum, Cape Town, South Africa; Hong Kong Art Center, China; Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia; Grand Palais, Paris; and the Venice Biennale.
Currently a professor at the University of Oklahoma, Heap of Birds teaches courses in Native American Studies and has developed seminars that consider the concerns of the contemporary artist on local, national, and international stages. He also served as a visiting professor at Yale University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Michaelis School of Art, University of Cape Town, South Africa.