Altarlife 1, 2, 3, 2022. Bone pigment, paper, aluminum, plexiglass.
The BackendMontclair State University Galleries
TJ Shin shares their experiences as a fellow at the University of Indiana in Altarlife 1, 2, 3. Through
architectural details from the archives that house the university's Native American artifacts, Shin sheds
light on the protocols that permit displacement and violence, allowing museums to simultaneously
allow and restrict access to cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge systems. Each image of the
archive is paired with photographs of nearby indigenous sites where objects and materials are extracted,
juxtaposing concepts of ownership, cultural stewardship, and extraction. Shin reflects on the position
artists find themselves in when invited to produce work for institutions that participate in forms of
colonial violence.
Image credit: Montclair State University Galleries and photographer Cary Whittier