This conversation between artist David Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo) ’17 and painter Stina Folkebrant (Swedish) delves into the collaborative process of creating their mural Okhúwa Munu: A Dialogue Between Cultures and Nature, which is on view in the Hallway Gallery on the first floor. Coming from diverse cultural backgrounds and using contrasting artistic styles, Naranjo and Folkebrant will discuss the elements that unite their mural while analyzing the significance of water in their life and work.

Okhúwa Munu: A Dialogue Between Cultures and Nature

Accompanying Arctic Highways is the mural Okhúwa Munu: A Dialogue Between Cultures and Nature in MoCNA’s hallway created by Swedish artist Stina Folkebrant and IAIA alum David Naranjo (Santa Clara Pueblo) ’17. Stina Folkebrant also collaborated with Arctic Highways artist Tomas Colbengtson on the installation Mygration, which will be on view in the exhibition. Folkebrant is known for her large-scale animal portraits and landscapes inspired by Black and white Chinese ink painting. Mural collaborator David Naranjo reinterprets traditional Pueblo ceramic and embroidery patterns in his paintings and accessory designs, using an iconography that often refers to the Southwestern landscape and natural world. The main theme of Okhúwa Munu (Tewa for “Turbulent Clouds”) is the importance of water, especially in this region’s high desert climate, where water is sparse and considered sacred. What unites both artistic approaches are the artists’ strong connection to nature as a source of spirituality.

Okhúwa Munu: A Dialogue Between Cultures and Nature (detail)