The Collective Gallery 173-171 is proud
to present ‘On Navajoland’ by Myriam
Abdelaziz, a photography exhibit that
portrays the Navajo on their land.
The Opening Reception will be held at
the Collective Gallery 173 – 171 on
October 4th from 6 to 8 pm.
‘On Navajoland’ is a photographic series
the photographer started in 2007 while
living with the tribe for several weeks
to document the disappearance of their
culture. The Navajo is one of the
largest Indian tribe in North America.
Navajoland is located within the
exterior boundaries of the states of
Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Nearly
175,000 Navajo are spread across a
reservation of 16.2 million acres, an
area larger than West Virginia. (Another
100,000 more Navajo live off the
reservation.)
Life on the reservation is changing.
While most elders speak Navajo, most
young people speak English. Across the
Navajo Nation, the number of sheep and
goats have declined, and with them the
rural lifestyle that binds the Navajo to
their land. While the Navajo’s
connection to their land remains strong,
it has become more spiritual than actual
as many young Navajo have moved into
towns seeking wage labor that now fuels
the reservation’s economy. In town, they
find easier access to public schools,
grocery stores, and social activities.
Even the traditional eight-sided Hogan,
has given way to federally subsidized
housing and mobile homes.
Nowadays, the Navajo struggle to
survive and to find a new identity.
They’re loosing their language,
tradition and religion without being
integrated in the American society as
has been the case with other minorities
in the country.
The photographs in this exhibition
highlight the gaps between generations
in Navajo society that reflect the
contradictions of living between
modernity and tradition. The people
continued to evolve but their land
always remained the same.
The photographs are still and quiet;
they evoke a timeless land.
The 20 photographs exhibited were taken
with an Analog Camera either 35mm
Panoramic or 6x4.5 Medium Format, then
scanned and digitally printed on Inkjet
Archival Paper.
‘When I am there I feel trapped in both
space and time, everything is
immutable’. Myriam Abdelaziz
Myriam Abdelaziz (born 1976, Cairo) is a
French, Egyptian, Swiss freelance
Documentary and Portraiture
photographer.
She grew up in Geneva before moving to
Cairo in 1987 and then to Paris in 1996.
Myriam received her BA in Political
Science from the American University in
Cairo, a Masters in Journalism from
Paris X University and an MBA from EDC
Paris. She graduated from the
International Center of Photography and
has been based in New York since 2005.
The Collective Gallery 173 -171 is a
very unconventional intimate space with
one–on–one relationship with:
collectors, critics, art consultants,
art lovers & members of the business
world. We are a collective of twelve
artists. The Gallery established in 2007
is located in Chinatown near the Lower
East Side the upcoming Art Scene of NYC.
Missions:
- To focus on contemporary art in all
media including video and installations
_
- To present work by mid-carrier and
emerging artists from all over the
world. _
- To show artwork in a broad cultural
context, addressing key issues related
to social and political concerns.
The collective gallery’s exhibition
program is available upon request.
For more information please contact:
Collective Gallery 173 – 171
173 – 171 Canal Street
#5 floor
New York, NY 10013
+1 646 245 6072
www.collectivegallery173-171.com
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