Watch artist Rose B. Simpson create totem figures rooted in her ancestral past

In the vast landscape of Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, the artist Rose B. Simpson creates sculptures inspired by his ancestors that bear witness to the land and the people who cross it. Simpson can trace her own lineage to Santa Clara Pueblo for millennia, and her mother and great-grandmother were artists and ceramists who used earth materials in their work.

Exclusively interview filmed as part of the new season of Art21’s flagship series Art in the 21st century, Simpson describes her practice and how it has evolved to bridge her ancestral past with her contemporary perspective.

Production from the Season 11 episode of “Art in the 21st Century”, “Everyday Icons”, 2023. © Art21, Inc. 2023.

Simpson puts together different types of clay to create a specific aesthetic, but also to invoke the idea that “we are all made up of many different things, and we try to understand each other and be compassionate and gracious and accepting”. these many things. It’s a personal quest for the multicultural artist, who “always navigates two worlds with one foot” and creates art that does the same. Using a method she calls “slap-slab”, the artist forms the sculptures by hand, which are then marked with her own fingerprints, leaving a document of creation.

“There is something so important to witness” the artist explains“Everything is a witness, even inanimate things – or [what] we consider inanimate things.

Simpson’s sculptures are constantly evolving, as in his “Transformances” series, performances using traditional pottery ornate cars designed and based on Española’s lowrider culture, which are driven on the streets alongside performers wearing what she called “post-apocalyptic native regalia”. .”

“I’ve realized that what empowerment looks like to me is changing, and it’s actually shifting from this genderqueer and more masculine space to accepting the feminine and understanding that I can hold in my femininity. and still feel that power,” she explains.

“There is no separation between art and life” Simpson said“When you can never be comfortable in one place, the discomfort can create an incredible environment for investigation. You have to kind of step back and close your eyes and hope that where you land is exactly the where you need to go.

Watch the video, which originally appeared as part of Art21’s series Art in the 21st century, below.