Whitney Biennial 2024: Even Better Than the Real Thing | Art & Artists

Film

In the 2017 video, Pahá kiŋ lená wakháŋ (These hills are sacred), the Oglála Lakȟóta artist Kite focuses on the intricate interplay between artificial intelligence and Lakȟóta philosophies of the nature of being. Pointing specifically to Lakȟóta concepts of the enfolding past and present, the connection to place, and the complex spiritual personhood of non-human beings—Kite’s 2017 work considers the notion of “truth” in relation to dominant Western historical narratives. The work begins with an animated graphic depicting space-time relations as mirrored cones that transform into concentric circles, interspersing references to important historical events on the Oglála Lakȟóta lands, such as the Wovoka Prophecy, the Wounded Knee, and the Indian Relocation Act. Gradually, the graphics shift into depictions of a starry sky and footage of a bird, Standing Rock protests, and snow, alluding to the traditional Lakȟóta belief in seeing the human body as a vessel of communication.