Hic sunt lupi (Here be wolves). (2023)

Hic sunt lupi (Here be wolves). In wolf’s clothing. The Hinono’eiteen chief takes the head of a Spanish soldier, releasing his body to the heavens, surrounded by the signs of his enemies. The war flag of the Frenglish frontier army in the Rocky Mountains. (Based on the Asafo company flags of Ghana.)
2023
Cotton appliqué and acrylic thread
182.88 x 182.88 cm

And were thus known forevermore as dragon slayers. A victory for Bootsy (Collins) and The Chief of the Wolves. The portal is expanding. 2023
Acrylic and spray paint on unbleached cow rawhide leather
243.84 x 149.86 cm
The Battle of the Tallow River Part 2. The portal at its greatest extent. Cue ABBA for Fernando.
2023
Acrylic and spray paint on unbleached cow rawhide leather
213.36 x 142.24 cm

Behold! The pale rider and the pale horse suffer an ignominious defeat in the field as both rider and man are felled by the Chief and his wolves are coming. The portal is always expanding now.
2023
Acrylic and spray paint on unbleached cow rawhide leather
228.6 x 140.97 cm

Hic sunt dracones (Here be dragons). The eye of the dragon sees and responds. The Spanish captain sits calmly as he destroys a Frenglish soldier with his eye laser and surrounded by the symbols of his faith.
The war flag of the Spanish frontier army in the Rocky Mountains. (Based on the Asafo company flags of Ghana.)
2023
Cotton appliqué and acrylic thread
182.88 x 182.88 cm

Courtesy of the artist; Tiwani Contemporary, London; Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo; Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels, New York and Paris; and Half Gallery, Los Angeles and New York

Overview

Umar Rashid, also known as Frohawk Two Feathers, is a multidisciplinary artist and the dedicated historian and
cosmographer of his own fictional universe, the Frenglish Empire (1648–1880). Rashid presents a series of tapestries that unfold through a harrowing chapter in the Frenglish Empire’s history. In the area currently known as Denver, Colorado, circa 1794, the Frenglish have allied with Arapaho Nation and Cheyenne peoples against the North American Spanish Empire. This saga is depicted in bombastic detail, with the conflict’s factions immortalised across their many last stands and death throes. Through the work, Rashid weaves a cautionary tale against greed, hubris and false allies that rings true across any given number of alternate and contemporary realities.

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