Chaz John - Itek “The Sister,” 2026
THE ARMORY SHOW
General Admission:
Friday, September 25, 11:00 am–6:00 pm
Saturday, September 26, 11:00 am–7:00 pm
Sunday, September 27, 11:00 am–6:00 pm
Armory After Hours
Friday, September 25, 7:00–9:00 pm
BOOTH P56
Javits Center
Crystal Palace Entrance
429 11th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
smoke the moon proudly presents new paintings and sculptures by Chaz John (Mississippi Band Choctaw, Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, European). John is pursuing an MFA at Tulane University in New Orleans, continuing his place-based research into the cultural legacies of the region. John inscribes a distinct visual language into the mythic theater at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
Chaz John approaches painting as a site of translation. This presentation marries his diverse studio practices and debuts oil paintings with hand-forged aluminum frames and sculptures. Interjecting classical references to French painting and traditional Mississippian metallurgy, the artist builds scenes that illuminate the origins of coalition. His work plumbs the spiritual interchange within the trade alliances of the Gulf South. As an extension of his research into the legends and figures of the region, John is developing an operetta. His paintings pull scenes and spirits from the opera washed in history’s fantasy.
John’s work expresses the fraying edge of cultural exchange with a mischievous gaze. Central to this work is John’s research into the Mobilian Trade Language: a pidgin dialect that served as a lingua franca to facilitate trade both inter-tribally and with the arriving French colony. Mobilian was rooted in Choctaw, but incorporated other tribal languages and French words to form a dialect that reflected the complex allegiances of this period.
Ritual objects were another link between the Choctaw people and the French. The legacy of these objects is absorbed into John’s material language: beads, shells, tooled metals and a palette sourced from local materials.
Between earth and memory are people and their objects. These objects become hosts to lineage and myth; an iterative and cosmic tether through time. John’s work stems from this place, alive with an elemental iconography and the constant hum of communal creation.
THE ARMORY SHOW
A cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape since its founding in 1994, The Armory Show brings the world’s leading international contemporary and modern art galleries to New York each year. The fair plays a leading role in the city’s position as an important cultural capital through elevated presentations, thoughtful programming, curatorial leadership, meaningful institutional partnerships, and engaging public art activations.