In the Court of the Conqueror
By George Emilio Sanchez, with visual artist Patty Ortiz
In the Court of the Conqueror revolves around the over 200 year-old history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have profoundly diminished the tribal sovereignty of Native Nations. The piece also delves into Sanchez's journey around his own indigenous identity while being raised in an Ecuadorian immigrant household and encountering their embedded bias and prejudice. As a part of Sanchez's artistic research for this piece he enrolled in, and obtained, a Masters in Legal Studies in Indigenous Peoples Law out of the University of Oklahoma during the Covid lockdown. The visual narrative displayed across three screens was created by the visual artist Patty Ortiz. Together they traveled across hundreds of miles to photograph and research the overarching historical context of the piece's content.
The performance premiered at Abrons Arts Center in March 2022, and it has toured to six states since its premiere. It will be presented at the Moss Art Center at Virginia Tech in April 2025.
Photos by Maria Baranova
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Ortiz y Sanchez commenced in 2021 with the project In the Court of the Conqueror. Their collaboration brings together Sanchez’s background in performance art with Ortiz’s visual art. The text and imagery can take many forms from poetic to surrealistic to monologue. Ortiz y Sanchez are devoted to practices and enactments where text and art frame critical questions about historical narratives and social paradigms. They are dedicated to expanding the meaning and scope of indigeneity in the Americas.
Patty Ortiz (MFA University of Texas) has had a dual career as a visual artist and as a museum director. Her current work is devoted to a social practice that looks to institutional critique, drawing, and video. Social practice projects like Work Won’t Kill You have travelled throughout the US in such places as the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. pattyortiz.net
George Emilio Sanchez (MFA Bard College) has been creating original works in the arena of performance since the 90s. He is currently professor in Dramatic Arts in the Performing and Creative Arts Department at the City University of New York's College of Staten Island. During COVID lockdown Sanchez obtained a Master of Legal Studies in Indigenous Peoples Law from the University of Oklahoma. georgeemiliosancchez.com
Ortiz lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and San Antonio, TX.
Sanchez lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
La MaMa Indigenous Initiative
The La MaMa Indigenous Initiative aims to provide a platform for Indigenous arts and culture, both nationally and worldwide. La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is committed to supporting ethnic diversity, cultural pluralism, and marginalized identities in the arts. The Initiative curates original Indigenous programming, including workshops, markets, and theatrical productions, to elevate the voices and artistic works of Native communities both nationally and internationally.