andi struzziero
2025
cast bronze, mitsuro hikime rings and fabricated leaves
throughout my life, i have had the privilege of being connected to various indigenous communities. i grew up on the land of the agawam and nipmuc peoples of western massachusetts. up north, my mother’s family has deep ties with the yup’ik inuit peoples of alaska. now, over the last few years, i have had the immense privilege of learning from kanaka ‘ōiwi their traditions of art and malama ‘āina.
as we investigate the tentative future of our planet, a return to indigenous land practices is a tool that we must not forget. this piece represents the laborious nature of working with the land, your hands being the guiding tool, and the ways in which it harbors life. each ring attaches to the fingers, strong like roots or fibers, and sprouts a leaf. the weight of the bronze will tire the hands, as they would tire from manual labor in the soil.
many think of humanity and the earth as separate entities, however i think it is to our benefit to recognize our oneness, our dependence on our planet, and our inherent fragility.