Hollywood Indian: Cowboys and Indians

Is the classic struggle of man versus nature really nature versus nature? That question lurks behind Aaron Wood’s work, which is created under the name Hollywood Indian and is featured beginning this weekend at Maplewood’s Hoffman LaChance gallery. While humanity at one point was just another animal, our relationship with the planet is far more destructive than most other species. Wood’s moody collages of graphite and acrylic paint on reclaimed doors reveal stray television sets, liquor stores and the occasional human form, with a single animal dominating the composition. Natural habitats disappear as the urban environment spreads like a deadly fungus, but still the animal perseveres. And yet the title hints at two groups of people that have almost disappeared under the rampant spread of civilization. How much longer can the animals hold out?