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CHARLENE TETERS
Charlene Teters' medium as an installation artist is popular culture, taking on the perception of what it is to be Native American and then, within these notions, positions what it really is to be indigenous in America. The work featured here is a site-specific called Route 66 Revisited: It Was Only an Indian. Route 66 Revisited: It Was Only an Indian
Charlene describes the installation: "This installation takes a look at the darker side of romantic Route 66 as it passes through Indian Country. In towns like Albuquerque and Gallup the development of roadside tourism and businesses are historically counterpointed by starker realities of the Indian people touched by Route 66. Route 66 was a boundary, an artery, an indelible mark upon the land that came to represent America's sense of mobile harmony and national unity, bringing the west into the national mind. It brought exploitation to Indian Country in the form of bars, pawn shops, skid row and the idea that the Indian is a tourist attraction, a national novelty. 'Route 66 Revisited: It Was Only an Indian' is a snap shot from the roadside."
On the left is a photograph of Charlene at an international exhibition in Gent, Belgium. The exhibition, "Around the Edges, the Corners of Gent" was held in March 2000, Charlene's piece was called "People to Objects". On the right is a photograph of Obelisk: To The Heros, an installation piece set in front of the New Mexico State Capital Building. This work was a contribution to the SITE Santa Fe Third International Biennial. Obelisk: To The Heros was conceived as a reaction to The Soldiers' Monument in Santa Fe's main plaza, one of whose panels is inscribed: "To the heros who have fallen in various battles with the savage Indians in the territory of New Mexico. Charlene's To The Heros is constructed with adobe bricks embedded with personal mementos donated by members of the public. These object-laden bricks are metaphors for a community's history, artifacts, presence and human rights. |
