2012 Native Dzunukwa Basket Woman Rande Cook Print

Description

This is a Northwest Coast Indigenous limited edition silkscreen print entitled "Dzunukwa" by celebrated Kwakwaka'wakw artist Rande Cook. According to Kwakwaka’wakw mythology, Dzunukwa is the ‘Wild Woman of the Woods’. She is often portrayed as an old, unkempt ogress with long, pendulous breasts and wild hair. She is said to snatch up children and carry them home in her basket.Rande Cook’s Dzunukwa is a far cry from the monster of old. His Dzunukwa is beautiful, feminine, young, and her hair is neatly tied in a bun to show her beauty. She gently touches her shoulder, as she carries a basket on her back, that is open on the bottom. Of the story of Dzunukwa, the artist says, "The Kwakwaka'wakw considered the Dzunukwa to be slow and dimwitted. She tried to capture children, but never succeeded. She lived alone, deep in the forest, and away from all villages." Rande feels that we live in a society where image is everything and he dedicates this print to the beauty that lies within all women. He remarks, “The burst of colour surrounding her is the beauty of life embracing her. She is now alive, surrendering to the past and embracing her own power.” This print measures 40" x 30", and is from a run of 85 produced in 2012.
Rande Cook (K'alapa) is a self-taught jeweller who also creates limited edition prints and works in wood. He was born on May 26, 1977 in Alert Bay, BC. He inherited his grandfather's chieftainship in 2008, and now carries the name Makwala, meaning "Moon." Rande has apprenticed under adopted Kwakwaka'wakw artist John Livingston in wood carving techniques. He produces jewellery in gold and silver, masks, bentwood boxes, drums, prints, and paddles. As a child, he was strongly influenced by his grandfather, Gus Matilpi. Rande was featured in the Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 2 exhibit at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, NY, in 2005. He has been expanding his capacities with new creative ideas in jewellery. In 2010, he traveled to Italy to study European smithing technique under Valentin Yotkov, and in 2012, he traveled to New York to Yotkov's studio to develop repoussé and chasing techniques. He has also produced a number of limited edition, sea-themed serigraphs. Rande's work can be found in galleries throughout Canada and the United States, and in collections around the world.