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The Opposite of Snake : The Art of Jimmie Durham

This article was invited for a special edition of the Journal of Surrealism and the Americas. The research embedded within it was presented at the 100th Annual College Art Association of America (Los Angeles, 23 Feb. 2012) in a panel entitled Native American Surrealisms.

The status of Jimmie Durham, (who is one-quarter Cherokee) as a leading contemporary artist from indigenous background is well established. Twenty years ago, he described ‘opposites’ from a native child’s point of view. For him, the normative take on opposites was laughably irrelevant to his childhood self, which conceived of ‘birds as the opposite of snakes.’ He moved terms of understanding away from conventional opposition, stepping outside mainstream assumptions. Durham’s ‘search for virginity’ rejected authenticity and dishonesty as polar oppositions, reprising the artistic practice of many Surrealists.

In this journal article the research (shared in other published outputs below) concerns of the Other are foregrounded, specifically aspects of alterity and the importance of Indigenous traditions exhibited in contemporary multicultural venues. Modeen addresses the bringing of singular experiences back to the community, and the importance of this community-held knowledge to the individual. Her focus is on land as the site of revelation. Here, and in two related articles, she reads the significance of these responses through Western philosophy and Indigenous knowledge: in many cultures it is this oral transmission of knowledge from one generation to another that is of paramount importance, bringing with it an inherent reverence for older generations. Associated book chapters are: Modeen, M. (2010) ‘Distancing and Foregrounding: Visual Art, Place and Memory’, in Literary and Cultural Theory, Vol. 35, Peter Lang Publishing, Frankfurt am Main: Germany. ISBN 978-3-631-60909-5. And: Modeen, M. (2009-10) ‘Ahi Ka: Homefires Burning’ in: Debatable Lands, Vol. II, Iain Biggs (Ed.), Bristol, England: Wild Conversations Press. ISBN 979-0-9560266-3-7.