Gregg Deal: Yadooa Hookwu (I Will Speak Now)

Gregg Deal’s exhibition Yadooa Hookwu (I Will Speak Now), explores indigenous identity through multiple forms of expression. Yadooa Hookwu (I Will Speak Now) encompasses mediums including prints, paintings, graphics and installations. Deal’s work combines traditional Paiute visual language and the U.S. flag to explore identity, express resistance, and speak to injustice. Combining punk rock lyrics with 1950s-era comic book illustrations, Deal reckons with Indian stereotypes and white punk angst as a way to communicate modern Indian resistance to a dominant white culture. The sum of the works in the exhibition adds up to a powerful, contemporary statement. Yadooa Hookwu (I Will Speak Now) is a voice that speaks for a people who have been historically marginalized.

Gregg Deal is a member of the Paiute Tribe of Pyramid Lake and a provocative contemporary artist/activist whose work deals with indigenous identity and pop-culture. The artist addresses issues of race relations, American history and Indian stereotypes. Gregg’s artistic practice advances issues within Indian country such as decolonization, the use of Indian mascots, and cultural appropriation.

The artist will be featured as part of Speak Up! Building Racial Justice Through Art, Writing, and Pedagogy: Re-Envisioning Native American Identities, in a roundtable discussion Thursday, September 16th from 4:00-5:30 PM CST. Information about the lecture series can be found at https://tinyurl.com/Shutz-Lecture-Series-UMKC