Kachina c. 20th century

This *Kachina*, made by Hopi artists, is made of humble materials—wood, feathers, pigment—but put together, they transcend their origins. It's clear that the making of this piece was a careful process, not just an act of representation, but an act of becoming. I see a painted star—a simple, graphic symbol—at the center of the figure's chest and it reminds me of a roadmap or a constellation, leading you somewhere. The blue, it’s almost like a denim, like an everyday thing, but still powerful. The surface of the wood feels really present; you can practically smell it. And the colours—that faded, chalky pigment—they whisper of ritual and significance. This star anchors the whole figure, drawing your eye to the heart of the Kachina, to the space where the earthly and the spiritual meet. I can’t help but think of Forrest Bess, another artist obsessed with ritual and the transformative power of images, though his work looks nothing like this. Art, at its best, is a conversation across time and cultures, a shared exploration of what it means to be human.