How? Series , C-print, 2003, 20 x 24
Erica Lord (Athabaskan/Inupiaq) BA, Carleton College (Northfield, MN); Institute of American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM). Exhibits: Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, Carl N. Gorman Museum (University of California Davis). Member, Board of Directors, Indigenous Arts Action Alliance (IA3). Poetry and photography published in Red Ink.
Erica Lord explores shifting self, home, and memory in her work. She writes about it: I communicate in a tongue that is sewn together by a thousand cultures. (...) I am not denying the inevitable merging of histories. My own has tributaries stemming from a destiny manifested. Her self-portrait of her How? Series shows the artist wearing a mask. Erica Lord explains: Until we all take time to understand each other a little better, to uncover and de-mask each other, we will only know the masks we put forward. Themes such as the clash of different cultures, limitations and boundaries in life, and environmental issues come to mind when viewing her photographs.