Bob Haozous, Bear with Clouds and Planes
Bob Haozous
Chiricahua Warm Springs Apache, Fort Sill Tribe
born 1943 Los Angeles, California; lives Santa Fe, New Mexico
Bear with Clouds and Planes
1986
painted and rusted steel
Albuquerque Museum, museum purchase, 1985 General Obligation Bonds
PC1987.32.1
Bear with Clouds and Planes includes a representation of a larger-than-life bear among clouds and a fleet of uniform planes. The bear’s large zigzag mouth extends across his face and body to his heart. Using a single sheet of steel, Bob Haozous layers the three elements of his sculpture giving it a subtle sense of dimension while creating tension between the bear inhabiting both the earth and the sky simultaneously. The bear appears large and powerful, but also agitated and vulnerable within the matrix of the imposing fleet of airplanes. Haozous has carried on his father Allan Houser’s legacy as a prolific sculptor. His steel sculptures, often executed with clean lines and distinct juxtapositions, do not shy away from challenging environmental, social, and political subjects. In Bear with Clouds and Planes, for example, Haozous incorporates an important animal in Native American traditions but also raises questions about the impact of man, technology, and militarism on the environment.