In the Court of the Conqueror
10.5 × 12 inches
Custom tri-panel clamshell with leporello, side-sewn booklet, custom cyanotype
featuring Patty Ortiz with George Emilio Sanchez
Curator and Editor, Cydney Payton MAZZY PRESS, Monterey, CA
Edition Size: 15
Price: $2,800.00
Patty Ortiz and George Emilio Sanchez are proud to present their inaugural artists' book In the Court of the Conqueror. The book is a MAZZY PRESS project conceived and curated by Cydney Payton as a memory of experiencing the performance and video work In the Court of Conqueror at Abrons Arts Center, NY in 2022. In the Court of Conqueror is a collaborative work by Ortiz y Sanchez that includes performance and videos. The work is both a monologue by Sanchez and a collection of related images that Ortiz imagined as video responses to the performance. In the Court of the Conqueror confronts the 200-year-old history of the US Supreme Court rulings diluting Tribal Sovereignty of Native Nations. The piece weaves the autobiographical story of Sanchez’s search for his indigenous roots with citations of legal case law related to Indigenous Nations where federal, state, and tribal sovereigns abut and conflict. The book was means to enclose the project and viewing experience into another model for future audiences. The artists' book becomes a translation of the ephemeral nature of performative art. Tactile, with distinctive visual layers, the book offers viewers an opportunity to interact with a time-based staged work that no longer exists. While the original content and context arrive anew in this form, the critical questions about laws and indigeneity remain.This limited edition linen covered artists' book contains numerous elements. Ortiz offers an original cyanotype containing a ghostly image of a historic map of the Texas territories. A digital artwork with still images from Ortiz’s the video installation takes the form of a leporello. A handsewn booklet show us excerpts from Sanchez’s original script in a new poetic format. Letterpress documents provide context and descriptions of the overall project. More about Ortiz y Sanchez
About the Curator
Cydney Payton is writer and curator who lives and works in Monterey, CA. She founded MAZZY PRESS in 2022 as a curatorial project where the book or enclosure operates as an architectural space to present innovative collaborations between artists and writers. The inaugural project was In the Long Window with visual artist Alan Scarritt. In the Court of Conqueror is the second project of MAZZY PRESS. Payton has an extensive background in contemporary art as a museum director and curator. Her curatorial focus is on the relationship between contemporary art and experimental architecture. Payton holds an MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts. cydneypayton.com
About Small Editions
Small Editions is a book and print design studio, a book bindery, an artist book publishing house, and an educational workshop space. The studio was founded in 2012 by Kimberly McClure and Corina Reynolds. Since 2019 Hannah Yukiko Pierce has been the owner and director. smalleditions.nyc