From Colonial Gaze to Self-Representation: Indigenous Visual Art Practice

The camera has never been merely a tool for documenting images.

Throughout colonial history, photography has also served as a tool of power through which Indigenous peoples were viewed, classified, and represented. Indigenous peoples in Taiwan and the United States have long been photographed and portrayed through the colonizer’s gaze. Their images were often fixed within an imagined “past,” rather than representing Indigenous peoples as living communities in the present—communities that continue to create, transform, and shape their own futures.

The Center for International Indigenous Affairs at National Dong Hwa University invites Mr. Ryle Yazzie, a visual, lighting, and photographic artist from the Navajo Nation in the United States, and Professor Szu-Han Ho, a Taiwanese American art educator, to share their artistic practices and creative work.

Drawing from questions of imagery, historical memory, and the colonial gaze, they will discuss how Indigenous peoples can reclaim the power to see and represent themselves through visual imagery.

Indigenous Portrait Project | Recruiting 10 Participants

As an Indigenous photographic artist, Ryle Yazzie hopes to co-create portraits with Indigenous peoples.

This is not simply about “taking photographs of Indigenous people.” It is an invitation for Indigenous people to participate in the process of image-making itself, and to reflect on: How do we want to be seen? How do we want to preserve our own images? If we decide for ourselves, how should Indigenous peoples be represented in images today?

Ryle will work collaboratively with participants, discussing and creating the portraits together. In this way, the portraits are not simply defined by an outside gaze, but become a form of Indigenous self-representation.

The portrait project is scheduled to be exhibited at Soulangh Cultural Park in October 2026.

Each participant will receive a digital file of their portrait, and a printed copy of their portrait.

Number of participants: 10

Indigenous friends who are interested in participating are warmly invited to join.

A full introduction to the project and information about how to participate will be provided during the talk.

If you would like to leave behind an image that belongs to you, we invite you to join us and explore together:

How can Indigenous peoples decide for themselves how they want to be represented?

Speakers | Artists

Ryle Yazzie and Professor Szu-Han Ho are currently participating as artists-in-residence in the Soulangh International Artist-in-Residence Program at Soulangh Cultural Park in Tainan.

Mr. Ryle Yazzie is a member of the Navajo Nation in the United States. He graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA). His creative practice spans photography, film, performance, installation, and printmaking. His work engages with and critiques Indigenous imagery constructed through the colonizer’s gaze, as well as the ways in which these images continue to shape how Indigenous peoples are understood and imagined.

Professor Szu-Han Ho is a Taiwanese American artist, educator, and activist. She currently teaches Art & Ecology in the Department of Art at the University of New Mexico. Her creative practice includes sound, performance, installation, and film/video. Her work explores the aesthetics of political resistance, historical memory, and related issues.

Talk & Portrait Project Briefing

Indigenous friends are warmly welcome to attend. We also welcome everyone interested in Indigenous imagery, art, and cultural representation to join us.

From being seen—to deciding for ourselves how we are seen.

Lecture Information

Date & Time: September 9, 2026 (Wednesday), 12:00–14:00

Venue: Taluan A201, College of Indigenous Studies, National Dong Hwa University

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Lunch will be provided based on the number of registered participants.
Please indicate whether you need a meal when registering.

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2 hours of interdisciplinary learning hours will be provided.