Hanover, New Hampshire – A young woman from Kānaka Maoli (Hawaiian), amedee Niamh Kauakohemālamalama Conley -Kapoi, looks at her audience with a calm resolution. Holding a position of Hula in balance, she leans on one side, arms extended parallel to the ground. Its expression radiates determination and an inflexible presence. She is surrounded by Hula tools, some of which are hers. A leaf lei is suspended above it, while a pile of books on the history and culture of Kānaka Maoli from the Dartmouth College library is perfectly found in the lower right corner of the thick border which image. This work, “Amedee” (2024), is part of Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) First American Doll Series of portraits representing indigenous peoples. Employees rather than simple models for the artist, his subjects actively shape their own representation, selecting the conceptions of the box, as well as their clothes and objects around them. In “Amedee”, the border of the box presents a Kapa design (Kānaka Maoli Barkcloth) created by Love LeunaakaThe most real graph and database>.
The series of portraits poses a critical question: what stories remain inexpressible in the general public culture? Conley-Kapoi, a Dartmouth student who ranked second for the Miss Aloha Hula 2024 prize at the prestigious Merrie Monarch Festival, carries the same outfit as she put on during the real competition. His “FreedWho was sent to England to continue his studies and prepare for Queenship in the Hawaiian kingdom – a role she never assumed due to the overthrow of the Kingdom of 1893 by American and European businessmen, supported by the American military forces.
In this spirit, the Conley-Kapoi agency exercises in the formation of its own representation makes “amede” particularly powerful. His expression and position give off self -determination, directly contesting the “Hula girl's daughter” trope. As Noah Moli McMillowerDeputy Professor of History at the University of Hawaii in Mānoa, written in his essay “Erroneous perceptions of the daughter of the Hula'' The daughter of the Hula is often represented as a “Hawaiian” woman with clear skin swinging in a grass skirt, a coconut bra and tropical flowers – an image that has come to represent both the Hawaiian culture past and present. Choices and the objective of Romero, the work of art represents the depth and pride of the femininity of Kānaka Maoli, recovering the Hula as an expression of cultural resilience and force.
This play, as well as three other photographs featuring Kānaka Maoli women who attend Dartmouth (“Kaitlyn”, “Ha'ina 'Mai” and “Teani and Hope”, all in 2024), is part of the first big major solo program in Romero, Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (living light)at the Hood Museum of Art in Dartmouth College. The framework of the exhibition in a higher education establishment seems particularly appropriate: Romero discovered his passion for photography as the first cycle at the University of Houston. Extending 63 works created between 2013 and 2025, the show completely explores the artistic practice of Romero, highlighting its sensitivity to details and subjects. Each carefully composed vision reflects its dedication to share stories from an indigenous perspective. Using striking sets and commanding poses and style – including autonomous examples of nudity in “Nikki” (2014), “Kaa” (2017) and “Peshawn” (2022) – it centers identities, imaginations and indigenous stories.
The exhibition takes viewers through the vision of the universe of Romero. The stories she tells is shaped by her links with her Chemehuevi landscapes in the Mojave desert and other Aboriginal women, as well as the American cultural landscape, the extraction of natural resources on tribal land and native future. Women and children, often the most vulnerable members of Aboriginal communities, are at the heart of their work, especially young boys in Chemehuevi – its nephews – which appear throughout their imagery as fun mythological figures. Ses photographies monumentales – de nombreuses échelles humaines ou plus, comme «The Last Indian Market» (2015), une réinvention de «The Last Supper» de Leonardo da Vinci – aux côtés d'installations majeures inspirées des photographies dramatiques «TV Indiens» (2017) et «The Zenith» (2022), transforment l'exposition en une expérience immersive, presque comme si ses sujets étaient présents et interactive with visits.
Thanks to photography, Romero confronts the history of exploitation of the medium, in which the Aboriginal people were often objectified rather than understood. His art also confronts sustainable colonial inheritances integrated into institutions like Dartmouth. An out -of -competition play in the show, “Cali Gold” (2024) of Indigenous California Series, represents two young Aboriginal women – Crickett Tiger (Muscogee Creek / Cochiti), the daughter of Romero, and Naomi Whitehorse (Northern Chumash and Sicangu Lakota), daughter of the frequent collaborator in Romero Leah Mata Fragua (Northern Chumash) – Dressed in a glamorous outfit: heels, sunglasses and necklaces linked to the native insignia of California. Their style suggests that they are preparing for an evening at the casino, but they are located in a stage of the staged desert, surrounded by swollen smoke. Whitehorse, adorned with a traditional Californian native chin tattoo, handles a silver pistol, while Tiger bows to the ground, attracting a bundle of silver. They are surrounded by items that connect past and present parts: gold coins, species, tribal identity cards and baskets. The label accompanying “Cali Gold” tackles the California gold rush from 1848, which brought devastating violence, illness and displacement to native communities. He also underlines the rise of tribal casinos and games in the past 50 years, a phenomenon has celebrated and debated in native discourse. In this photograph, women recover stories of difficulties and division through their commanding poses, their confident expressions and their provocative presence. Their identity as next generation permeates work with a feeling of hope. Romero offers a striking renovation of power – one where young women assert themselves in an indigenous landscape of California deeply tangled with capitalism.
This sharper lens extends to “Don't Tell” (2021), but the power dynamics are very different. The photography portrays Gary Farmer (Cayuga), a notable native actor, pretended to be a Catholic priest holding a cross while covering the mouth of an native woman, with the shadow of a suspended figure who is looming in the background. Romero's decision to throw farmers as a colonial figure adds another layer of complexity, which stimulated expectations concerning identity and historical roles. Throwing an indigenous actor well known as the priest can encourage the native public to recognize a familiar face, complicating the binary of the oppressor and oppressed. This could also suggest how colonial violence has been internalized in native communities. In various ways, “Cali Gold” and “Don't Tell” illustrate the daring and shameless approach from Romero to historical trauma and colonial oppression. In doing so, his work questions the look at a white predominance that has long been the photographic representations of these stories. By centering the native perspectives, Romero not only takes over visual sovereignty, but also affirms a powerful photographic existence which reflects the agency and the Aboriginal criticism.
Romero's work is preceded by a piece with pieces by the prolific Chemehuevi Basket Weaver Mary Snyder (1852-1951) alongside five baskets labeled as the work of a “former cheehuevi artist”, some from the personal collection of Romero. Including Snyder's work with these anonymous historical pieces from the beginning of the 20th century, the exhibition honors the heritage of the weavers of Chemehuevi basket, probably women, who preceded Romero. She carries the artistic talent of her ancestors, presenting her work as part of an uninterrupted line and a testimony of the lasting force of the female creativity of Chemehuevi.
The next stop of the exhibition is the Phoenix Art Museum, a few hours before the Indian Reserve of Chemehuevi. This location offers significant opportunities to get involved with the work of Romero in the capital of the state of Arizona, which houses an important indigenous population, in particular the Amerindian and island communities of the Pacific. In the midst of a political climate in which the current presidential administration actively whitewashed history and cultural institutions, being reflected in the photographs of Romero is not only affirmation – it is deeply transformative. His work highlights the continuity of indigenous culture and the power of artistic restoration.
Cara Romero: Panûpünüwügai (living light) Continue to the Hood Museum of Art in Dartmouth College (6 East Wheelock Street, Hanover, New Hampshire) until August 9. The exhibition was organized by Jami C. Powell.
