In the realm of contemporary Indigenous art, Mercedes Dorame stands out, and her evocative photography series, Everywhere Is West, is currently captivating audiences at the Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art within The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. This exhibition offers a profound exploration of place, time, and Indigenous perspectives, inviting viewers to reconsider their understanding of the American West.
Dorame, a Tongva photographer who grew up in Los Angeles, embarked on an artistic journey to document Indigenous landscapes on the Channel Islands of Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina. Her work transcends mere documentation; it delves into the deeper layers of history and memory embedded within these locations. One striking example, Algae Portal—Shooxar Tukuupar, encapsulates this approach. The photograph, captured in a Santa Cruz Island tide pool, presents a microcosm of life teeming within crystalline water, framed by algae-covered rocks.
Algae Portal—Shooxar Tukuupar is more than just a visually arresting image. It represents Dorame’s personal experience of disorientation and reconnection with the landscape. As Dorame herself explains, the site evoked “a disorientation with time, a sense of a deep familiarity but at the same time an unfamiliarity—a shift of perspective.” This sentiment reflects a key theme in Everywhere Is West: the re-evaluation of “west” beyond its colonial connotations. For Dorame, growing up in Los Angeles, the west symbolized the coastline and origins. However, being surrounded by the sea on the Channel Islands challenged this perception. “West” transformed from a direction associated with Manifest Destiny into a space rich with Indigenous history and enduring memory.
The Everywhere Is West series, previously showcased at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, marks a significant evolution in Dorame’s artistic exploration. At The Huntington, visitors have the opportunity to engage with selections from this compelling body of work, prompting reflection on the complex relationship between history, landscape, and identity. Mercedes Dorame’s photographs serve as portals, inviting us to contemplate the ever-changing yet ancient narratives held within the land itself, particularly within the context of the Huntington’s setting in Southern California, a region deeply intertwined with these very histories.
