Published: March 1, 2017
Painting by Frohawk Two Feathers illustrates modern culture in a historical portrait style

Painting by Frohawk Two Feathers | Photo courtesy of www.frohawktwofeathers.com

On Tuesday, March 7, painter Umar Rashid, better known as Frohawk Two Feathers, will be on campus to speak about his art—which frequently and wryly points to the instability of public histories and confronts issues of race, power and greed.

Two Feathers paints ink and acrylic scenes onto coffee- and tea-stained paper, detailing colonial uprisings against the imaginary superpowers Frengland and Fenoscandia. The intricate paintings re-imagine 18th-century colonial history, conjuring a fictional cast of subjects that include a rebel-fighting force of freed slaves, militiamen, dukes, lords and tribesmen.

If you go
Who: Open to the public
What: Visiting Artist Frohawk Two Feathers
When: Tuesday, March 7, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Visual Arts Complex, room 1B20

His images contain a mashup of references, combining elements of 18th- and 19th-century colonial portraiture and folk art with visual signifiers of contemporary urban culture, including jewelry and body art associated with present-day gangsters and hipsters.

The artist currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Born in Chicago, he received his BA from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

The free lecture, part of the Visiting Artist Program, will be given at 6:30 p.m. at the Visual Arts Complex (VAC).