New York Gitli 1986

"New York Gitli" is a 1986 sculpture by Jimmie Durham that uses found objects, a red plastic letter A and a painted animal skull, to explore themes of appropriation, identity and colonialism. The work's title, a play on the phrase "New York City," refers to the artist's own Cherokee heritage and the displacement and cultural appropriation that indigenous people experience. The seemingly simple sculpture engages the viewer with complex questions about the nature of representation, identity, and power.