Roberts Projects is pleased to present Bíikkua (The Hide Scraper), an exhibition of Wendy Red Star’s ongoing series exploring the social and material history of bishkisché. This Apsáalooke term is used to describe heirloom rawhide cases fabricated and decorated by the women of indigenous tribes throughout North America, translating to “backpack for dogs to carry meat or grain.” Historically referred to as parfleche—a French phrase introduced during the colonial fur trade—in Western European scholarship, Red Star intends to use this series to restore the creative lineage and language of her Apsáalooke ancestry.
A functional object used for transporting goods and possessions on horse across the Great Plains, each bishkisché features two painted panels with a mirrored pattern—a unique visual symbology invented by their maker. Growing up on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, Red Star recalls her grandmother with a creative project always in hand—perpetually sewing, beading, and drawing. While her matrilineal ancestors may not have described themselves as artists, they had robust artistic practices and established the aesthetic vocabulary of their tribal community—envisioning vibrant, geometric designs comprised of intersecting triangles, zig-zagging lines and lean sequenced rectangles rendered in rich primary-toned pigments.
Of the nearly one thousand images of rawhide bishkisché that Red Star has uncovered since embarking on this series, she has made studies of 226 bishkisché, 184 of which are on display in this presentation—accompanied by twelve historic bishkisché from the artist’s personal collection. Installed in a dense grid, these works form an extensive archive, piecing together common threads and visual motifs from a historical record that has been suppressed in the hands of white settlers.
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday, 11am – 6pm
or by appointment