Lisa Reihana

Emissary No.3 - Nootka Ancestor was made for the Venice Biennale catalogue, and this is the first time it has been offered to market. The Nootka Ancestor is held in the collection of Cambridge Anthropology Museum, UK. The image was created to resist museological documentation practices. Rather than being recorded against a neutral and featureless background, the artist reimagines this ancestor in a location, hoping it is somewhat like his/her place of origin. This moody, outdoor landscape suggests a reason for s/he's wildly animated hair, the coldness shunned by fur clothing, and the camp beyond suggesting a lived life.