Myths, Homes, & Self-Portraits

I had the pleasure of visiting the Newark Museum and seeing the works of Wendy
Red Star and Kambui Olujimi. Sadly I had to make my visit to the museum
separate from the class due to previously schedule travel plans. Being the part
from the class however did not take anything away from the experience. Wendy
and Kambui both used imagery to tell their own narratives.


I fell in love with Wendy Red Star’s exhibit. Wendy creates a huge timeline

that goes around almost the entire second floor. Her exhibit focuses mainly on
home roots, andhow they reflect upon her individual identity. She included
many pictures from her childhood. Next to these pictures she included several
handwritten notes. Most notable to me was a poem entitled “I Am Poem.”
This poem spoke about what i means to be a crow Indian. She describes life in
her culture through her own perspective.

I also really enjoyed the hud homes section of the exhibit. In this section Wendy
shoes various different depictions of what a home may be. She used the words

“My home is where my tipi sits” as she showcases different homes, signs, and

automobiles.  

In my opinion Kambui Olujimi’s exhibit was a little harder to digest. Olumjimi

used short film and lithographs to convey his message. In his short film he depicts

the  narrative being told in his book Wayward North. The film seemed a bit vague

but was still still rather interesting.

I think that both exhibits have similarities. It seem like they both reflect upon

mythology through folktale. Wendy Star reflects on native americans from the Crow

region. Olujimi exhibits more contemporary aspects, he expounds upon life in

Brooklyn, New York. Both pieces were surrounded around individuality. Both

exhibits showcased self portraiture, myth, and their own representations of home.

Every culture has their own myths and their own perspective on what home is. In

my culture home is where you’re family is, and your mother is the most beautiful

thing. I am of Dominican descent, but Latinos a sa whole generally have a similar

outlook on life. We are extremely family oriented.