Photo: Connor Creagan
Hamatsa Group installed at the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, SK for Devoured by Consumerism, 2019.
Beau Dick Kwakwaka’wakw, Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nation, 1955-2017
Crooked Beak, 2015
Red cedar, cedar bark, acrylic
12 x 8 x 34 inches
30.5 x 20.3 x 86.4 cm
30.5 x 20.3 x 86.4 cm
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Further images
The most elaborate and respected of the Kwakwaka’wakw Winter Dance ceremonies is the Hamatsa Society. The creatures of the Hamatsa Society are mythological cannibal birds, animals and beings, who live...
The most elaborate and respected of the Kwakwaka’wakw Winter Dance ceremonies is the Hamatsa Society. The creatures of the Hamatsa Society are mythological cannibal birds, animals and beings, who live in great houses in the sky. They are under the control of Bakbakwalanooksiwae, a powerful man-eating spirit. Crooked Beak, Supernatural Raven, and Hok Hok are part of the Hamat’sa, a complex and layered expression of consumption, symbolic of the struggle between base urges and socialization.
Exhibitions
Documenta 14: Learning from Athens, Kassel DE and Athens GR, April 8 – Sept 17, 2017Devoured by Consumerism, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, SK, June 21 – Sept 8, 2019
Beau Dick & Christophe Brunnquell, Consortium, Académie Conti, Vosne Romanée, France, July 8 - Oct 9, 2021. Curated by Franck Gautherot & Seungduk Kim.
Beau Dick: Walas Gwa'yam / Big, Great Whale, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York, NY, April 12 - May 11, 2024