Norman Akers

Redemption

The work of Norman Akers delves into themes of personal and cultural survival, while drawing inspiration from Osage mythology and iconography. Redemption depicts a storm-whipped landscape, where an elk’s bugle unleashes a whirlwind that seems to catch birds, butterflies, and human figures in a maelstrom. While the scene recalls the Osage creation story of the Great Elk, whose scattered hairs and different body parts gave birth to hills, rivers, and grasses, Akers also included motifs from his personal symbology and various contemporary objects in the image, creating a sense of unsettled temporality.