Terran Last Gun

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).”