From the Artist - Chaz John:
Subverting the idea of who art is made for, REZ DOG ROOM 420 was created specifically for Nativo’s rez dog guests who through survival and natural selection, have created a breed of their own. The interior is based on an overly elaborate Victorian design and classical dog paintings of upper-class pedigrees. In this room, these purebreds have been replaced by rez dogs and the Victorian design overtaken, melting and bursting with rez dog survival and indignity. The room’s hues and values have been painted according to a dog’s visual spectrum, from black and grays to light blues and yellows; catering completely to a canine audience. As the artist, I encourage audience participation in the continued creation of this space, Indigenizing this Victorian interior and creating a new occupied room. Like the rez dogs, who continue to create themselves.
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About Chaz John:
Chaz John is an Indigenous artist and activist currently attending the Institute of American Indian Arts. Chaz works primarily with opaque and raw images. Producing quickly lined and illuminated mixed media drawings and paintings in an effort to capture what he calls “Indigenous poetry in the face of conflict”. Chaz often blurs the lines of conceptual and traditional 2D work, constructing performative actions with drawings and paintings often as documentation. Interested in the formation of the modern myth and poetic reification, Chaz’s work is often accessible, layered with subversion and always conveys a sense of Indigenous humor.