Terran Last Gun

Diane Rosenstein Gallery announces a solo exhibition of ledger drawings by Terran Last Gun, a Piikani (Blackfeet) visual artist based in Santa Fe. Often employing geometric aesthetics, he contributes to an ancient yet continuum Indigenous North American narrative. Installed in our project room, this presentation is Last Gun's first exhibition with Diane Rosenstein Gallery.

 

There is an opening reception on Wednesday, February 19 from 6-8 pm.

 

Terran Last Gun, Saakwaynaamah’kaa (Last Gun), (USA, b. 1989) is an enrolled citizen of the Piikani Nation (Blackfeet) of Montana: one of four nations that make up the Blackfoot Confederacy, collectively called the Niitsitapi (Real People). Born and raised on the Blackfeet Reservation, Last Gun draws inspiration from land, cosmos, cultural narratives, and experiences. His work focuses on color and shape exploration, and the visual documentation of nature and recollections through various media, including ledger drawing, printmaking,painting, and photography. Last Gun’s drawings on ledger book paper merge Piikani art form and imagery within the context of 20th century art movements. He employs a visual language that infuses form and color with Indigenous symbolism to create new portals for accessing these histories.

 

The artist explains his artwork and the influence of Blackfoot culture as “vibrant energetic color harmonies”. He describes Piikani or Blackfoot painted lodges as “visual masterpieces of the Great Plains...[They] depict the world in which we live, through geometric geological landmarks, figurative animals, and the above world that connects us to Natosi (Sun).”

 

Last Gun received his BFA and AFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe (2016). His ledger drawings are currently on view in Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always, curated by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers in NJ. Recently, Modern Recordings of Ancient Blackfoot Symbolism, a two-artist exhibition, was at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO (2024). Last Gun has received solo exhibitions at Hockaday Museum of Art, Kalispell, MT (2024); Missoula Art Museum, MT (2023); Contemporary at Blue Star, San Antonio, TX (2021); and IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), Santa Fe, NM (2020). He was included in exhibitions at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), AZ (2025); Bates Museum of Art, Lewiston, ME (2024); The 8th Floor, NYC (2024); and Newberry Library, Chicago, IL (2023); among others.