Opening Reception: HUNTER: Selections from the Personal Collections of Tony Abeyta

The ICA Santa Fe is proud to present HUNTER, an exhibition assembled from the personal collections of Tony Abeyta. A well-known painter and silversmith, Abeyta is also a lifelong collector. HUNTER traverses the terrains of collection making, examining idiosyncratic undercurrents present in any catalog by delving into the depths of Abeyta’s personal curiosity.

Ranging from the seemingly ordinary to the rare and precious, the things that catch Abeyta’s eye are not solely based on their monetary value, instead they share an inherent metaphysical appeal that Abeyta describes as a “testament to human existence.” There is an equalizing quality to Abeyta’s desire – marrying the high and the low, the ancient and the modern, the work of art with the child’s toy in the wake of his particular devotion.

With works from Cara Romero, Raymond Johnson, Roxanne Swentzell, T.C. Cannon, Constance DeJong, Nicholas Galanin, Chanupa Hanska Luger, Agnes Martin, Larry Bell, and Charles Loloma among others, this exhibition speaks to the ways Tony has supported his community through his appreciation, mentorship, and magic for decades. HUNTER is curated by Chiara Giovando.

“The hunt has changed, new rituals are aligned with a new order. Assimilation, colonialism, commerce, and consumerism have created new landscapes, new hunting grounds. The Diné were hunters and gatherers, following animal trails, moving with the seasons. Now I am a treasure hunter on a quest for meaning and a more comprehensive story of how I exist as a new world Navajo. The animals have become symbolic, and their paths have faded into the obscure wilderness. Our stories are kept as artifacts, tied with tenuous sinew to a larger story of Indigenous experience. The objects become our language, speaking of both past and present. I am a collector of these objects, memorabilia of my own existence.”

– Tony Abeyta