From 9 February to 1 March 2023, the Volery Gallery will present the solo exhibition Tin Star Tall Tales, which will include Jon Young and Canyon Castator. Through wall pieces and sculptures, the exhibition questions how we define the American identity.
The artists investigate how the American West Mythology has been created and sustained, as well as how it relates to topics like nostalgia, Indigenous erasure, and the glorification of violence. Both artists also draw inspiration from their viewpoints and experiences; Castator refers to his childhood memories, while Young speaks to his Indigenous ancestry and nomadic upbringing.
Contemporary artist Jon Young is well recognized for his wall installations, which employ a variety of methods to produce engraved three-dimensional objects. For Tin Star Tall Tales, he creates a quartet of pieces he calls “waymarks” out of vivid iridescent fabric, wood, and batting that explore the timeless myths of the American West.
The pieces explore the relationship between the erasure of Indigenous peoples and symbols often found on road signs. Young’s “waymarks” draw from his Native American heritage, nomadic background, and time spent in California’s Mojave Desert to serve as a metaphorical road map to return “to a home that no longer exists.”
The wall installations by contemporary artist Jon Young, which use a range of techniques to create engraved three-dimensional objects, are well known. He makes a quartet of “waymarks” for Tin Star Tall Tales out of brilliant iridescent fabric, wood, and batting that explore the enduring mythology of the American West. The exhibition will run until 1 March 2023.