Shelby Head
Providence, RI
My art practice challenges social and linguistic constructs in the United States through precisely crafted artworks organized into collections.
MessageAudio
The stark white wall marked with blood-red, dripping letters spelling “WAKURÎRÂRAT” strikes like an unhealed wound, both a presence and a call. In Pawnee, the word means “Follow or pursue the sound of a voice, as when hearing someone speaking or singing but unable to see them,” evoking longing, search, and partial connection. The phrase hangs visibly yet elusively, suggesting voices that colonial history has attempted to silence or disappear. This tension is amplified by the sound composition from Warren Realrider (Pawnee, Crow) and Nathan Young (Delaware, Pawnee, Kiowa), whose improvised noise, drone, and fragmented melody invite listeners to “follow” unseen voices through space. Their shared sonic language, rooted in family ties and Oklahoma Native experience, resonates with concepts of disappearance, freedom, Black activism, and ancestral memory. Together, text and sound create a haunting encounter, urging viewers to move beyond visual surfaces and listen deeply to what has been muted yet endures.
- Collections: Beyond the Whitewash
Other Work From Shelby Head
© Shelby Head, 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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