Harry Fonseca

Coyote/Koshare, Four Figures with Melons

The work of artist Harry Fonseca (Nisenan/Maidu) deliberately combines contemporary aesthetics with Nisenan narratives and themes. Coyote, a trickster character in many Indigenous cultures, was recast by Fonseca as culturally connected but also cosmopolitan inhabitant of the contemporary world. Coyote/Koshare, Four Figures with Melons presents Coyote as a Koshare (Pueblo clown) set within the context of Pueblo ceremonial dances while wearing high-top sneakers and blue denim shorts.