Frohawk Two Feathers has a very unique way of approaching art. He performs extensive research into the histories and geographies of modern-day New York and New Jersey and uses that information to create histories for two fictional warring nations, the Frenglish Empire and
the Kingdom of Holland and Zeeland. Opening at the Wellin Museum, the exhibition, "You Can Fall: The War of the Mourning Arrows (An Introduction to the Americas and a Requiem for Willem Ferdinand)" will feature five new works that contribute to the narratives he has created, including paintings on animal hides, narrative battle scenes and maps on faux-aged paper, decorated drums, and other artifacts.
By creating these historically influenced narratives, Two Feathers "offers an alternative to the Eurocentric, male-dominated story of Western civilization by inventing lives and stories for anonymous and unknown individuals, whose race, gender, or class rendered them overlooked by history." He also connects the narratives to the present by "appropriating urban slang and hip hop lyrics for the titles of his work, and integrating a street art aesthetic." The exhibition opens September 28 and runs through December 22.
