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In Malcolm Furlow's first solo exhibition at Diehl gallery, he presents a body of work that highlights a cross cultural reality, one that seamlessly melds sacred tradition with contemporary culture and challenges our corporate consumerist society.

 

Furlow draws from his Choctaw heritage despite the fact that he was forbidden from learning and practicing his traditions as child for the sake of his own safety. Raised in Louisiana in a town where Native people were being lynched, his family fled under the cover of darkness to Texas, where they believed they would be safer. In some ways, Furlow's work is an attempt to bridge the gap between the world he was raised in and the world he never knew.

 

Native American and Indigenous artists have become increasingly visible and popular in the mainstream art market. MoMA just hired their first curator of Native American art, and fairs such as the Armory and Art Basel have put a focus on the work of Indigenous artists. While this trend has been building for the last few years, Furlow was ahead of the curve and has been creating bold works with poignant subject matter for decades. His vibrant palette and often cheeky titles highlight his place in the recontextualization of contemporary Native American art. Furlow's work is in the private collection of the White House, numerous embassies and countless private collections around the world.