The postapocalyptic future in Auto Immune Response no. 5 references the harmful effects of uranium mining on Diné homelands between 1944 and 1986. Artist Will Wilson placed himself within this large-scale panoramic photo and invoked the imagery of the Hero Twins who appear in Diné Bahane’, the Navajo creation myth.
Wearing gas masks to protect themselves from the toxic environment, the twins look directly into the camera with bloodshot eyes while an unknown substance streaks down their faces. Here, “autoimmune” suggests that harmful human interference in the environment is equally harmful to the human body.
