Mourning the Motherland (Praying)
2024
Joe Harjo
San Antonio, Texas
Artworks shown are selected from works submitted by the artist in their grant or residency application. All works are copyright of the artist or artist’s estate.
About Joe Harjo
Joe Harjo (b.1973, Oklahoma City, OK) is a Muscogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma artist based in San Antonio, TX. He earned a BFA from the University of Central Oklahoma and an MFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Harjo's installations challenge the erasure of Native culture in America, addressing misrepresentation and appropriation. Recent solo exhibitions include Indian Removal Act I: American Progress, Indian Removal Act II: And She Was, and The Only Certain Way. He advocates for change through his work, confronting mainstream culture's neglect of Native identity. Harjo has been awarded residencies at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, Germany, and the Vermont Studio Center. He's a Harpo Foundation Native American Residency Fellow and his work is held in collections including the San Antonio Museum of Art and Texas A&M University at San Antonio.
Program Participation
Joan Mitchell Fellowship, 2024
Website / Social Links
Through my work, I strive to create spaces of solace and restoration, where the wounds inflicted by historical trauma and ongoing injustices can be acknowledged and tended to. I seek to evoke a sense of healing and renewal, nurturing connections to language, land, culture, and community as pathways to collective well-being and empowerment.”