{"id":8735,"date":"2026-10-14T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T17:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=8735"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T17:30:00","slug":"radiant-geometries-illuminates-teachings-and-technologies-in-the-indigenous-americas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=8735","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Radiant Geometries\u2019 Illuminates Teachings and Technologies in the Indigenous Americas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\u2018Radiant<\/p>\n

For centuries, Navajo\/Din\u00e9 weavers have created intricate, geometrically patterned blankets and rugs on upright looms, powered only by the artisans\u2019 bodies. More than a millennia ago in Mesoamerica, which encompassed much of what today is Mexico\u2019s Yucat\u00e1n Peninsula and parts of Central America, the Mayans produced ornate ceramics decorated with natural motifs like birds. Utilizing materials that could be foraged or cultivated in the landscape\u2014the Din\u00e9 have herded the distinctive Navajo-Churro sheep since the breed was introduced by Spaniards in the 16th century\u2014the techniques, motifs, and cultural customs continue to influence artists today.<\/p>\n

Through the lens of Indigenous interpretations of mathematics, science, and architecture, Radiant Geometries: Vectors of Knowledge from the Indigenous Americas<\/em> at Moody Center for the Arts<\/a> at Rice University invites us into a multi-media encounter with a wide range of cosmological perspectives and views on nature, narrative, and innovation.<\/p>\n

\"a
Installation view of \u2018Radiant Geometries\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Curated by Noor Al\u00e9, the exhibition\u2019s scope embraces South, Central, and North America as a whole to explore how contemporary Indigenous artists channel ancestral and technological knowledge. A wide range of paintings, sculpture, video, sound, and more delve into realms of the mathematical, metaphysical, social, and environmental, tapping into the artists\u2019 distinctive backgrounds and cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

Melissa Cody<\/a>, for example, begins with a foundation in Din\u00e9 weaving, drawing upon the teachings of three generations of makers before her. The artist utilizes both a vertical Navajo loom and a mechanized Jaquard machine to create vibrant textiles merging traditional motifs and patterns with contemporary designs and messages.<\/p>\n

Eamon Ore-Giron<\/a>\u2019s large-scale geometric abstractions are a dominant force in Radiant Geometries,<\/em> nodding to a range of Indigenous motifs and symbols, such as Native American medicine wheels and tapestries from the Amazon Basin. Influence also arises from the 20th-century pictorial language of geometric<\/a> abstraction, especially hard-edge painting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In the gallery, Ore-Giron\u2019s works are foregrounded by a series of vivid, freestanding sculptures by Natalia Montoya Lecaros<\/a> titled T\u00f3tems de emergencia<\/em>. She pulls a figurative aesthetic thread from the garments of the Aymara people of the Andes, who are known for their vibrant, handcrafted clothing combining Indigenous clothing traditions with elements introduced by Spanish colonizers. In T\u00f3tems de emergencia<\/em>, four upright, mixed-media pieces stand on \u201cfeet,\u201d installed in a circle as if performing a ceremonial dance or tribute in the center of the gallery.<\/p>\n

\"an
Melissa Cody (Navajo\/Din\u00e9), \u201cSunrise Rainbows\u201d (2025), Jacquard weaving with aniline dyed wool fringe, 70 x 40 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Additional artists featured in the exhibition include\u00a0Patricia Dom\u00ednguez, Jordan Ann Craig, Nanibah Chacon, Patrick Martinez, and many others. \u201cAt its core, Radiant Geometries<\/em> centers Indigenous ways of knowing that continueto shape relationships to territories, waterways, and interspecies care,\u201d Al\u00e9 says.<\/p>\n

The show runs through December 19 in Houston. The museum is also hosting a large-scale vinyl installation by Sharmistha Ray<\/a>, which opens on October 22 and will remain on view through January 29. Explore all exhibitions on the Moody Center\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A
Natalia Montoya Lecaros (Aymara), \u2018T\u00f3tems de emergencia\u2019 (2021), installation view, series of modular MDF
sculptures with tempera paint, acrylic yarn, beads, lined cardboard, and bird feathers, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Judas Galer\u00eda, Valpara\u00edso<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Eamon Ore-Giron. \u201cTalking Shit with Object 17 (Pre-Columbian ceramic plate with avian designs, 300-900 CE)\u201d (2026), mineral paint and Flashe on linen, 30 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist and NORR COHAN, New York<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Eamon Ore-Giron. \u201cTalking Shit with Object 17 (Pre-Columbian ceramic plate with avian designs, 300-900 CE),\u201d installation view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
Caroline Monnet (Anishinaabe\/French), \u201cA Quiet Place\u201d (2021), print on Enermax, 46 x 46 inches. Courtesy of the artist, the Gochman Family Collection, and Blouin Division, Montreal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"an
Nanibah Chacon (Din\u00e9\/Navajo and Chicana), \u201cWhere Two Rivers Meet\u201d (2026), mixed media, sound installation, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Timothy Hawkinson Gallery, Los Angeles<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"a
Nanibah Chacon (Din\u00e9\/Navajo and Chicana), \u201cWhere Two Rivers Meet,\u201d detail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Installation view of \u2018Radiant Geometries\u2019 featuring (front to back): Natalia Montoya Lecaros (Aymara), \u2018T\u00f3tems de emergencia\u2019 (2021) and Eamon Ore-Giron, \u201cBlack Medallion XIV (Inti)\u201d (2022)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member<\/a> today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article \u2018Radiant Geometries\u2019 Illuminates Teachings and Technologies in the Indigenous Americas<\/a> appeared first on Colossal<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For centuries, Navajo\/Din\u00e9 weavers have created intricate, geometrically patterned blankets and rugs on upright looms, powered only by the artisans\u2019 bodies. More than a millennia ago in Mesoamerica, which encompassed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8735\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}