“Snag Shag”, Condom packages, beads, wool fabric, 48″ x 96′, 2014, $8000
Statement:
Humor is in every aspect of Ho-Chunk culture, even in speaking about the act of having sex. The Ho-Chunk slang word “Snag” is used to talk about a one-night stand. The piece ‘Shag Snag’ is comprised of a man’s traditional beaded breechcloth, spread out on a carpet of condoms. In honor of your life and World AIDS Day, if you are going to snag wear a condom.
Bio:
Tom Jones, born 1964, Charlotte, North Carolina, is an Associate Professor of Photography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his MFA in Photography and a MA in Museum Studies from Columbia College in Chicago, IL.
Jones’ photographs examine identity and geographic place with an emphasis on the experience of American Indian communities. He examines the way that American Indian material culture is represented through popular culture. He is critically assessing the romanticized representation of Native peoples in photography. This reassessment questions the assumptions about identity within the American Indian culture by non-natives and Natives alike. Jones is a co-author on the book “People of the Big Voice, Photographs of Ho-Chunk Families by Charles Van Schaick, 1879-1943. Jones is in numerous collections including: The National Museum of the American Indian, Polaroid Corporation, Sprint Corporation, The Chazen Museum of Art, The Nerman Museum, and Microsoft.
To learn more about Tom Jone’s work visit his website: tomjoneshochunck.com
