The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture will present "Màatakuyma: Now It is Becoming Clearer to Me," an exhibition featuring the work of Hopi photographer and filmmaker Duwawisioma (Victor Masayesva Jr.). The exhibition will run from August 31, 2025, through April 19, 2026.
"Màatakuyma" includes images created throughout Duwawisioma’s career. The works use color, layered compositions, and cultural symbolism to highlight aspects of Hopi culture, history, and agricultural practices. According to the artist’s approach, ancestral time is connected with modern elements such as cars and electronic communication. These contemporary influences are seen as both threats and challenges to tradition that must be balanced.
Duwawisioma’s art focuses on themes of Hopi sovereignty, identity, and the relationship between people and the natural world. He emphasizes corn, water, wind, and land as important sources for life. His work seeks to show how living in harmony with nature can bring balance.
Born in Hotevilla, Arizona in 1951, Duwawisioma attended school in New York City before studying at Princeton University. He returned home in 1978 and has remained active in his community's civic and religious life. He is recognized for his films including "Itam Hakim Hoplit" (1984), which was selected for the National Film Archives in 2023, and "Imagining Indians" (1992), a critique of Native American misrepresentation in film. In 2025 he was named a Fellow of the Center for Art, Research, and Alliances (CARA).
The Hopi Tribe lives on three mesas in northeastern Arizona across twelve villages. They have maintained their culture through ceremonies and farming adapted to dry conditions.
A key feature of the exhibition is the "Natwani: Corn Story" series—a set of twelve images representing the Hopi lunar agricultural calendar. This series shows how corn remains central both spiritually and nutritionally within Hopi society by reflecting cycles of ritual activity alongside planting and harvest periods.
The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture operates under New Mexico's Department of Cultural Affairs with support from the Museum of New Mexico Foundation. Its mission is “to serve as a center of stewardship, knowledge, and understanding of the artistic, cultural, and intellectual achievements of the diverse peoples of the Native Southwest.”
