Gerald Clarke

This survey brings together three decades of work by contemporary Native American artist Gerald Clarke. Utilizing wit and humor to expose historical and present-day prejudice and injustice, Clarke brings a decolonial perspective to urgent cultural and political issues facing our world.    Clarke is an artist, university professor, cowboy, and Cahuilla tribal leader. Combining various media in his sculptures, paintings, works on paper, videos,...
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This survey brings together three decades of work by contemporary Native American artist Gerald Clarke. Utilizing wit and humor to expose historical and present-day prejudice and injustice, Clarke brings a decolonial perspective to urgent cultural and political issues facing our world. 

 

Clarke is an artist, university professor, cowboy, and Cahuilla tribal leader. Combining various media in his sculptures, paintings, works on paper, videos, performances, and installations, Clarke derives artistic inspiration from his cultural heritage, expressing traditional ideas in contemporary forms that are both poetic and urgent. Clarke works against stereotypes and archetypes of Native American art and culture, repurposing found objects and creating clever juxtapositions to make profound political statements. Clarke's artistic output resonates with histories of assemblage, pop, and conceptual art produced by both Native American and non-native artists.

 

The first catalogue on this inventive contemporary artist, the collection introduces Clarke's work at a moment when it is profoundly necessary. Masterfully designed with color illustrations and illuminating texts, Gerald Clarke: Falling Rock is a politically-engaged and often humorous look at the artist's storied career.