“The Far West Illusion”

Exhibition: “The Far West illusion”

Place: Temporary exhibition room of the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum (Madrid)

Duratión: Until Febraury 7, 2016

More info: museothyssen.org

“The Far West Illusion” proposes for the first time in Spain, to follow in the footsteps of the artists who in the 19th century opened the way to the American West to represent their landscapes and the ways of life of its inhabitants, the Indian tribes.

Artists of the time, such as Edward Curtis, George Catlin, Henry Lewis, Tomas Cole, Thomas Hill, Karl Bodmer, among others, contributed to create the myth of a wild, paradise and dangerous territory.

Colonialization would irreversibly modify Indian cultures, which the artists almost always reflected with admiration and respect, although not always abstracting from the illusion, understood as a mirage, but also as enthusiasm, generated by themselves and by literature, which continues to this day. in a powerful popular culture ”  

The exhibition consists of maps, photographs and original paintings that the artists produced through their expedition trips and visits to the tribes, as well as ceremonial artifacts and the daily life of native peoples, and more modern elements of literature, cinema, television and comic strips (ex. Buffalo Bill, The Last of the Mohicans) that explain how the extended image of the Native American seldom escaped the clichés built on it and that continue to this day.

Tipi in the Educational Area 

We setted up a full 5.5 meter teepee for the exhibition (educational area) including flooring and some decorative elements (rugs, cushions, traditional chairs). The teepee we setted up in the garden at the entrance of the museum, and it works as a special activity room for the little ones, throughout the exhibition.

Tipi entrance

Inside the tipi