Press Release - Nikichyu ‘ok’w ‘w-ewolek’ ”Everything has a name” by Saif Senussi Azzuz
Saif Senussi Azzuz
“Kues ketch ho neskwechoom’?
(When did you arrive?)”
Acrylic, dye, and enamel on canvas
72 x 96 Inches
2020
Nikichyu ‘ok’w ‘w-ewolek’
”Everything has a name”
A solo exhibition by
Saif Senussi Azzuz
Opening Reception
Saturday, May 8th
12-6 pm by appointment only
Showing Through June 4th, 2021
pt. 2 Gallery is pleased to present Nikichyu ‘ok’w ‘w-ewolek’ ”Everything has a name”, a solo exhibition by Saif Azzuz. For Azzuz’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, the Libyan-Yurok artist showcases paintings and sculptures that highlight the resilience of Indigenous Californians and speaks to ongoing efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages, stewardship of land, food sovereignty, and fire management. This holistic connection to the land and water extends beyond appreciation for their surroundings, as the Yurok’s long-standing traditions demonstrate deep commitment to the preservation of resources and stewardship of the land they share.
Bordering between landscape, abstract and surrealist compositions, Azzuz shares thirteen new large-scale paintings. The varying usage of enamel, dye, spray paint and oil coalesce in captivating compositions. At times rendered with loose gestural marks and overlapping colors, other canvases display marked control; clean lines of negative space and separate organic forms. The thirteen paintings shift between tonality as well as treatments of paint, transitioning from cool tones to warm and back to cool again. Traditionally, Yurok people follow the lunar calendar, in which each of the thirteen moons refers to a different season.
Saif Senussi Azzuz
Kue 'woogey ma markwso'm.
(The white men came and killed them all.)
Abalone, acrylic, shellac, shells and redwood
38 x 26 Inches
2021
An integral part of Nikichyu ‘ok’w ‘w-ewolek’ ”Everything has a name” is the introduction of three-dimensional works to Azzuz’s practice, in the form of tree stump sculptures and engravings on redwood slabs. Created using scraps from salvage yards, Azzuz breathes new life into the material, recovering the pieces from a legacy of Manifest Destiny and timber extraction that produced ineffable loss for his people. The Klamath River Valley and its redwood forests are the center of the Yurok world; the trees are embedded within the stories of the tribe, and are a source of balance. By engraving the slabs the redwoods are reclaimed and can once again impart their stories and wisdom.
Azzuz’s canvases and slabs weave together Yurok motifs inspired by landscape and Indigenous culture. ”Everything has a name” reflects the connection between the Yurok language and their intimate relationship with nature. Certain aspects of the iconography refer to recognizable flora and fauna, such as the scutes of a sturgeon, others are derived from more traditional patterns of the Yurok tribe. Thus the images become more than the symbols that fill the canvas, instead providing emotional responses to the shifting growth of plants and impact of weather across the year as the land changes throughout the seasons.
Saif Senussi Azzuz
“nohsoo”
Acrylic, dye and enamel on canvas
47 x 35 inches
2021
In multiple paintings, a deep red and orange tone glows through the canvas. The warmth that emanates from these paintings refers to the destructive wildfires that now afflict California on a yearly basis. Due to fire suppression by State and Federal governments, the Yurok, among many Indigenous peoples, face barriers to care for their ancestral lands. Controlled and prescribed cultural burning is vital to Yurok people, burns promote the growth of traditional food and medicine sources and helps to mitigate the increasingly destructive wildfires. This act of cultural preservation mirrors movements to revitalize traditional language, dances and ceremonies. By depicting an iconography derived from Yurok tradition and connection to the land and water, and basing a series of paintings off of the Yurok seasonal calendar, Azzuz furthers these acts of cultural preservation, reinterpreting traditions that have stood for countless generations.
Saif Azzuz is a Libyan-Yurok artist who resides in Pacifica, California. Working on canvas and paper with a variety of materials, and on recovered redwood slabs, Azzuz uses a series of personal gestural marks and an iconography derived from the traditions and native land of the Yurok people. His work reflects the resilience of Indigenous cultures and the importance of a holistic connection with the land, while simultaneously confronting the history of colonialism and Manifest Destiny. Azzuz has exhibited widely in the Bay Area, including exhibitions with Adobe Books, Ever Gold [Projects], NIAD, 1599dt Gallery. He is part of the Clarion Alley Mural Project and a Facebook Artist in Residence in May 2021. Azzuz will have a solo exhibition in October 2021 at Rule Gallery in Denver. Azzuz shares his home and studio in Pacifica on Ramytush Ohlone land with his wife Lulu and their two children, who provide innumerable inspiration and support for the artist.