What Mosquitos Are Made

About this object

History of use

Northwest Coast serigraphs are a contemporary art form, deriving from early 20th century drawings of traditional crest and decorative designs, commissioned by anthropologists and undertaken by artists such as Charles Edenshaw. Residential schools reinforced the medium, while discouraging the use of traditional themes. An important series of traditional designs in coloured pencil and watercolour were done by Mungo Martin for UBC in 1949-50. The 1960's saw the rapid growth of prints, first in unlimited poster editions, and later with the establishment of the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art at 'Ksan (1967), and of the Northwest Coast Indian Artists Guild (1977), limited edition art runs became the standard. Northwest Coast silkscreen prints are part of the mainstream art market, as well as, functioning within the native context as potlatch gifts, and commemorative prints. Although, there are distinctive regional styles, individual artists may work in several styles, or apply unique themes and variations to specific works.

Cultural context

contemporary art

Physical description

Serigraph on matte black. Has a main design that has emanating from a round, white central figure, many orange curvilinear swirls which curl over to a point at their top end, reminiscent of smoke curls or fat question marks. At the centre top, from one swirl, there is an emerging white creature in profile facing to the left side with three legs ending in rounded claws. The face which is half of the creature is elongated with a long snout ending in a curl under the mouth. Large round eye surrounded by an oval tapering to points at each side. Central round figure has a humanoid hand at the top and the bottom and a stylized face between. Ink is relatively thin and brighter at the overlap in swirls. Pencil inscription along the bottom edge reads '10/30 What mosquitos are made Nytom 82'. The print is on vertically rectangular, black paper.