"A wolf crossing a stream and Boba Fett, the legendary bounty hunter from Star Wars. What do these two images have in common?
Nothing for many, but everything for cousins Monty and Ryan Singer.
Growing up on the Navajo reservation, the two were surrounded by the traditions of their tribe. But they were also inundated with modern pop culture ideas and images — everything from Star Wars to KISS to robots.
The two painters, who are in Santa Fe at the Indian market this week, use their talents to blend their heritage with the modern world. Taking stereotypes of Native Americans and turning them on their heads, making people think in new and different ways.
One example is Ryan's business card. A sleek black, it features a mock highway sign, similar to the ones warning of steep grades in mountain passes. Instead, his shows a covered wagon on fire.
"Some guy called me a 'wagon burner' one time and it pissed me off," Ryan said. "So I decided to make it my logo."
Even channel surfing can inspire creativity. After coming across an old Western, where the Native Americans were white men in brown paint and referred to as "Injuns," Ryan had an idea.
He recreated an exploded view of a car engine and labeled each part with the name of an old movie that reinforced stereotypical views of Native Americans.
"I called it '12 Steps to Stereotyping an Engine,'" he says with a grin."
Get the Story:Off the reservation (The Valencia County News-Bulletin 8/18) Related Stories:
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