Neal Ambrose-SmithAmerican
Render Unto Caesar
May one see it?
Not receiving at present
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
Neal Ambrose-Smith’s monotype, Render Unto Caesar, from the artist’s “Naughty Bunny” series, features a cartoon-like, anthropomorphized rabbit adorned with a long robe and opera-length gloves. His skeletal face suggests he’s a spirit. In Ojibwe and Cree folklore, the rabbit is the all-powerful trickster, transformer, and culture hero known as Nanabozho (or Wesakaychak). As a trickster, he is conniving and can take many guises and do what he pleases. He is one of many characters elders use to teach children about morality and reason. Here, appearing dazed and ashamed, he displays remorse for his actions. Various truisms, blind embossed on the sheet, seem to float in the background.
Read on
Among these bits of wisdom are, “diversity of opinion is now legal discrimination”; “it was all or nothing until the money ran out”; and the work’s title, “render unto Caesar.” The title—the opening words of Jesus’ well-known response to the Pharisees who challenged his religious authority—may in fact reference the struggle between Native American spiritualism and the cultural dominance of mainstream America.
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2015.48.1
In the catalog
Sources
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Image: Minneapolis Institute of Art — © Neal Ambrose-Smith
