Couple in the Cage: Two Undiscovered Amerindians Visit the West was a traveling exhibit which toured the world stopping in nine cities as a part of The Year of the White Bear and Two Undiscovered Ameridians Visit the West. The brainchild of Coco Fusco and Guillermo Gomez-Pena, features the authors and actors as well. The two spend the duration of the showcase in their exhibit which is a cage adorned with popular contemporary technology (TV, laptops, Coca-Cola, etc.) paired with Native American objects (dolls, ritual objects, warpaint, etc.). Dressed in a similar irreligious hodge-podge of American and Native American elements. The actors remain in the cage the entire time the exhibit is open, which means they are fed by staff members through the bars, and they relieve themselves in bedpans.
The exhibition traveled to nine cities: Irvine, Madrid, London, Minneapolis, Washington, Sydney, Chicago, and New York. It received mixed receptions. While the masses turned up to witness the sensation, not all approved of the Amerindian exhibit. In fact many critics considered it a scandalous and shameful depiction of social injustice. They argue that Fusco and Gomez-Pena could present their political ideals in a more respectful manner, but this is the inherently controversial nature of art.
Attempting to spark a commentary about the unjust treatment of native peoples during North American and South American colonization, Fusco and Gomez-Pena designed their exhibit to highlight the absurdity of treating people that way. They choose to depict absurdism literally, incorporating visual elements designed to illicit a strong reaction, which is exactly what they received. Some people were outraged, others disturbed, and still others impressed. Ultimately, the artists communicated their objects: no person deserves to be humiliated just because that person is foreign.
