Across generations and geographies, people have informally passed on knowledge and life-sustaining wisdom—in such forms as plant medicine, cultural origin stories, and spiritual practices. This information was often conveyed through spoken words, material objects, images, and, more recently, the Internet. At times these transfers were done covertly. This was especially the case for marginalized and oppressed peoples whose cultures and beliefs were determined to be a threat by dominant power and political structures. Alternative ways of understanding and surviving in the world find renewed relevance in the selection assembled here. Referencing imagery from nature, Indigenous cosmovisions, mythology, and the occult, these works represent means of self-empowerment, belonging, and resistance.
Organized by Paulina Pobocha, former Associate Curator, Department of Painting and Sculpture, Beverly Adams, Estrellita Brodsky Curator of Latin American Art, with Abby Hermosilla, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Curatorial Affairs, and Damasia Lacroze, Curatorial Assistant, Painting and Sculpture
