The Collection

In Sara Siestreem’s "minion" sculptures, the artist is thinking about social justice, specifically related to gender equality and women’s rights. She considers the minions to be protectors that work to simultaneously uplift the good and punish the bad. They possess the enduring power of Indigenous cultures in the face of colonial oppression. The intertwined strands of beads speak to the interconnectedness of Indigenous people across generations and into the future.  

Slip-cast dance caps are adorned with meticulously strung (Indigo-dyed cotton) strands of red, luminous glass beads, abalone (commonly seen throughout Indigenous regalia), and found buttons, creating ethereal forms that transcend time and space. The beadwork catches the movement of the air created by the bodies of the audience and gently sways with the viewer, activating an informal ceremony between the two.  

In works like the “minion” sculptures, the artist contributes to the tradition of Indigenous Contemporary Fine Art created on this land mass. They are steeped in and for a multi-cultural world. They serve as channels of remembrance, resistance,and dream into being a future of opulence, abundance, and equality.