From the Artist - Marina Eskeets:
Location: New Mexico, United States. W.I.P.P, Carlsbad, NM. L.A.N.L, Ohkay Owingeh, Pueblo of Jemez, Los Alamos, NM. U.N.C, Diné Territory, Eastern Navajo Nation, Church Rock, NM.
Sunflowers are unique plants, known as hyperaccumulators because of their ability to grow and capture contaminates in soil and ground water. Their roots reach down into the earth and pull toxicities from beneath and store them in their roots, stems, and leaves. The process is known as phytoremediation when used to clean areas affected by radiation contamination, which is an issue we face here in New Mexico. This room is a commentary on the relationship between the Indigenous people of New Mexico, the land, the water, the New Mexico government and the legacy of uranium processing in New Mexico.
About Marina Eskeets:
Marina Eskeets is a conceptual artist from Naná’áztiin, New Mexico (The Big Curve, NM, Navajo Nation). Eskeets earned a Bachelors in Fine Arts in 2016, with a major in Studio Arts at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, where she was also a S.I.T.E. Scholar at S.I.T.E. Santa Fe. Her work is stimulated by her childhood herding her grandmothers’ sheep, in a region directly affected by the Church Rock uranium disaster. Eskeets work is centered on energy extraction within Dinétah and the repercussions it has had on Indigenous identity. Eskeets employs a wide range of fine art and photography mediums and techniques to express her ideas. Her works have included: video projection onto a traditional Diné weaving loom, three-dimensional cardboard churro sheep skull masks used in an interactive performance in the downtown streets of Gallup, New Mexico, and embroidered illustrations onto deer skin.