A new exhibition titled 'Paper Trails: Unfolding Indigenous Narratives' has opened at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), part of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). The show features works by contemporary Indigenous artists who utilize paper as a primary medium to explore themes of history, memory, and cultural identity, moving beyond text-based narratives to create visceral, sensory experiences.
The exhibition is significant for its focus on materiality and its challenge to colonial, text-centric histories. By foregrounding paper—a material with its own complex history of imposition and adaptation—the artists create a powerful, non-linear dialogue about Indigenous presence and resilience. It represents a vital contribution to contemporary Indigenous art discourse, emphasizing embodied knowledge and sensory engagement over conventional academic or literary frameworks.