"Space Cowgirl" by Camryn Growing Thunder

Space Cowgirl is a reimagining of Jacques-Louis David’s Napoleon Crossing the Alps and an invitation into a Native pop-surrealist world. The work subverts dominant art historical tropes by placing a Native American woman in the role traditionally occupied by Napoleon. By changing the subject in my painting, I am challenging historical narratives of power and conquest. Rather than portraying stoicism or dominance, the subject is depicted as joyful and self-assured. She is
grinning, taking up space, and meeting the viewer’s gaze directly. Her presence disrupts expectations, reclaiming agency and through playfulness and confidence. By merging historical reference with contemporary Native identity, Space Cowgirl asserts joy and imagination as radical acts within art history and lived experience.