JASON BARNESThe Human tradition of innovation and adaptation has been very strong in the Native American mind and culture. I endeavor to express ideas about the ancient and the modern melding together to become something completely different yet still the same. I am a product of this process. Living in two different cultures (Navajo and Atlantic islander) I have learned each way of life seems to have its own perceptions and truths about the world. This experience has influenced my work as an artist; documenting the amalgam of my heritage and modern world.
My paintings are re-interpretations of Native American stories, concepts and lifestyles contextualized in our modern world. I focus on expressing the intent of culture, rather than rote or regurgitation, and how this intent manifests itself in the modern mind. The final product echoes the dilemma we must all face in reconciling traditional and contemporary sensibilities in our lives.My most recent works have been incorporating themes, imagery oft found in the realm of science fiction and collide them with traditional Native American themes that result in unique and thought-provoking hypotheticals.
|
