Truman Lowe Retrospective Opens In Washington, DC

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The first major retrospective for Hoocąk (Ho-Chunk) artist Truman Lowe has opened in Washington, DC, at the National Museum of the American Indian. The exhibition, titled Water's Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe, begins with his 1992 sculpture“Ottawa,” a large piece made from pine and peeled willow saplings. This work evokes the river currents from his childhood aquatic environments.

The sculpture's form challenges the rigid nature of its materials, with its curves and ripples reflecting Lowe's belief that wood itself embodies water. The exhibition's works are organized into four thematic categories that explore moving water: Landscape and Place, Woodland Structures, Memory, and Shared Knowledge. In Hoocąk culture, the number four holds significance, representing history, reverence, and the concept that repetition signifies permanence. Lowe's sculpture“Mimi” from 1979 demonstrates this durability, featuring four peeled willow branches, four clusters of blue jay feathers, and red beads arranged in sequences of four, enclosing four leather strips. Throughout the exhibition, Lowe's work echoes Toni Morrison's statement that,“all water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.”

Source: Hyperallergic

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