ARTIST STATEMENT
REZ DOGS
Chaz John
The rez dog is often used poetically to depict suffering, but as a species, they’ve gained nothing
from it. Subverting the idea of who art is made for, the series REZ DOGS was created specifically
for a rez dog audience.
Paintings
The paintings compositions are based on elaborate Victorian paintings of upper-class pedigrees.
In my work, these pure breeds have been replaced and their landscapes overtaken and
indigenized. Painted in hues and values according to a dog’s visual spectrum, the work is hung
low completely catering to the rez dog, who through survival and natural selection, have
created themselves.
Sculptures
By appropriating a mass-produced plaster mold technique during the 1920s and 30s, of quickly
made dog figurines. These sculptures have been recast in white china porcelain, elevating their
material prestige, while at the same time indigenizing them by placing them with contemporary
food like fry bread and Vienna sausages. This displacement from their original context, inserts a
new narrative of native humor and a continuation of cultivating the modern myth of the rez
dog.
Rez Dog Remains
Like humor, the western narrative of man vs nature is more about death than survival. The
partial rez dog skeleton is displayed in a museum quality case, signaling the Eurocentric
Victorian gaze of objectification. The remains have been placed with care, but still layered with
the original dirt of their resting place. Surrounded by flour, fry bread, and wild sunflowers, the
remains begin to resemble an altar. Honoring a species that though survivance and adaptation
will long out last ours.
Occupation
The contemporary gallery remains a space steeped in the history of elitism. During the shows
life span, rez dogs will be invited and encouraged to overtake this gallery setting. Refreshments
and snacks will also be provided for canine guests.
This project also works in collaboration with various rez dog rescues and shelters in which a
portion of the proceed will benefit.