Welcome to a Visit with Our Ancestors
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LiDoña Wagner’s artistic work honors the courage and innovation of our ancestors who left East Africa 75,000 to 50,000 years ago and walked or sailed to every corner of planet Earth. The intent of the installation is to establish an environment that evokes reflection on our global family, the human genome.
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Our African Homeland
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Homo sapiens evolved in Africa more than 800,000 years ago. All humans alive today are descendants of those first Homo sapiens. From a tiny population, they multiplied and migrated to every corner of planet Earth.
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Southwest Asia
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The first Homo sapiens to leave Africa crossed the Gate of Tears at the south end of the Red Sea around 75,000 - 60,000 years ago. Navigating by sun, moon and stars, they followed the coast (and fish) going east. Some humans settled in areas along the way, a tiny blip in a world dominated by wildlife. Their descendants are found today in Arabia, Iran, and India.
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Southeast Asia
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A seismic eruption 72,000 years ago on the island of Sumatra sent volcanic ash as far away as India, affecting the earth’s climate. Descendants of the first coastal migration from Africa reached Southeast Asia 60,000 - 40,000 years ago. For centuries the fertile Mekong Delta drew migrants along the coasts and up and down the numerous rivers flowing from the Himalayan mountains.
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The Global Journey
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| Migration maps from the geneographic project of the National Geographic Society |
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| Introducing Homo sapiens first land migration into the land of the rising sun, later called the fertile crescent. |
Ancient Near East
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During a warming period on planet Earth 50,000 years ago, a second wave of Homo sapiens left Africa.They traveled north by land, following animals they hunted, through the Nile Valley and into the Sinai Peninsula.These adventurous migrants expanded into the region known today as the Middle East, laying foundations for Western civilization.
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Perilous Majesty
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| Catastrophic environmental events occasion migrations |
Oceania
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Descendants of the first coastal migration reached Australia 60,000 - 40,000 years ago. Millennia later, 1300–1200 years ago, the last part of the world to be occupied by Homo sapiens–the PolynesianIslands–was reached by indigenous Taiwanese sailors. Through oral tradition, their descendants pass on sophisticated navigation skills: celestial knowledge, wave and wind patterns, sea creature habits, kinesthetic reading of water currents, and more.
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Wagner's Ancestral Journey
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The migration path of my maternal ancestors, disclosed in a 2010 DNA test, is depicted on My Ancestry stabile to the right. Self-portrait above reflects updated information from a second DNA test in 2013: 41% of my DNA matched that of people in Denmark (Deer– maternal ancestors); 40% matched that of people in Tuscany (Hand symbols – paternal heritage); 17% matched that of people in Southwest Asia (Goddesses –ancestors of first coastal migration).
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Resources for Maiden Migrations
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| Binder of Wagner's DNA results from geographic project and book covers as a sampling of the many resources used to develop this body of work. |
The Human Journey
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| Going upstairs to view works for sale. |
Stone Age Series
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| Stone Age paintings on the right |
Mementos of Maiden Migrations
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| Elephant Hunt and Dingo Dog |
Archaeological Dig
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| Transition from Pilgrimage series to Maiden Migrations |
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| Mementos and accordion books from residency in Assisi, Italy |
Mementos of Maiden Migrations
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| Mementos for Africa, India, and the Middle East |
Breakthrough
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| Transition from Stone Age to Pilgrimage series |
Ancient Civilizations
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| Memento of Indus Valley civilization in what is currently Pakistan |
Continuing the Journey
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| Returning downstairs to continue the human journey |
5 comments:
This is beautiful, Lidona. Sorry I won't be able to see it firsthand at Fountainhead. I know this is a big culmination of decades of work as well as more recent logistical planning. Congratulations on both! Terry
LiDona, so wonderful to see these images of your show and get a sense of how it looks and feels in the gallery! It's a wonderfully spacious container for it, a walking meditation indeed, I think. Congratulations on all of it, the work, the show, and your book! Such a great fruition for your work. Blessings, Melody
Wonderful, Lidona! I love the layout of the exhibit as well as the separate collections that make up the whole exhibit! You continue to outdo yourself with each book, artistic creations, and exhibits!
LiDona, I have seen bits and pieces of your work before, but seeing the display all together is an amazing work of art in itself.
I can only imagine with awe the work that went into your getting this exhibit set up...and broken down. I hope you find another venue to show it elsewhere, preferably a little nearer.
With gratitude and congratulations on this achievement! Lynda C.
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