Darling,
There’s nothing quite like dressing up as someone else to remind you how little you are underneath. They call it homage; I call it Halloween. What better place to play cowboy-and-Indigenous than a seedy motel under a neon missile sign?
Wear a feather, steal a history, sip a daiquiri.
Love, Joan
“Pretendians” is a biting satire wrapped in sequins and kitsch, unmasking the commodification of Indigenous identity through a surreal vintage lens. In this audacious collage by Joan Seed, bikini-clad blondes and Speedo-sporting men don feathered headdresses under the neon glow of a place called Sea Mussle Motel—a symbolic sleaze palace where culture is both costume and commodity.
Set against a theatrical nightscape, this piece skewers the cheerful ignorance of cultural appropriation with technicolor absurdity. The smiling woman, radiant and oblivious, becomes the metaphorical centerpiece of white performative fantasy. Her partner—a hollow-eyed man in a dollar-store headdress—stares vacantly, as if unsure whether he’s the predator or the punchline. The motel’s name, Sea Mussle, with its euphemistic wordplay, nods to themes of colonization, exoticism, and erotic exploitation.
This artwork is a museum-grade critique of spectacle and erasure—perfect for collectors who crave the irreverent, intellectual, and unapologetically subversive. Dealers, curators, and cultural theorists take note: this isn’t just a print. It’s a satirical scalpel.
For commissions and inquiries email me at joan@joanseed.ca
Artwork Details
Title: “Pretendians”
Medium: Mixed media digital collage
Dimensions: Available in 30×30” inches and 60×60” inches
Edition: Limited, signed and numbered by the artist
Year: 2025
Availability: Museum-quality giclée prints on archival paper
Ideal For: Canadian art collectors, political art dealers, and galleries focused on cultural commentary
© 2025 Joan Seed. All rights reserved.
Darling,
There’s nothing quite like dressing up as someone else to remind you how little you are underneath. They call it homage; I call it Halloween. What better place to play cowboy-and-Indigenous than a seedy motel under a neon missile sign?
Wear a feather, steal a history, sip a daiquiri.
Love, Joan
“Pretendians” is a biting satire wrapped in sequins and kitsch, unmasking the commodification of Indigenous identity through a surreal vintage lens. In this audacious collage by Joan Seed, bikini-clad blondes and Speedo-sporting men don feathered headdresses under the neon glow of a place called Sea Mussle Motel—a symbolic sleaze palace where culture is both costume and commodity.
Set against a theatrical nightscape, this piece skewers the cheerful ignorance of cultural appropriation with technicolor absurdity. The smiling woman, radiant and oblivious, becomes the metaphorical centerpiece of white performative fantasy. Her partner—a hollow-eyed man in a dollar-store headdress—stares vacantly, as if unsure whether he’s the predator or the punchline. The motel’s name, Sea Mussle, with its euphemistic wordplay, nods to themes of colonization, exoticism, and erotic exploitation.
This artwork is a museum-grade critique of spectacle and erasure—perfect for collectors who crave the irreverent, intellectual, and unapologetically subversive. Dealers, curators, and cultural theorists take note: this isn’t just a print. It’s a satirical scalpel.
For commissions and inquiries email me at joan@joanseed.ca
Artwork Details
Title: “Pretendians”
Medium: Mixed media digital collage
Dimensions: Available in 30×30” inches and 60×60” inches
Edition: Limited, signed and numbered by the artist
Year: 2025
Availability: Museum-quality giclée prints on archival paper
Ideal For: Canadian art collectors, political art dealers, and galleries focused on cultural commentary
© 2025 Joan Seed. All rights reserved.
Retro feminist surreal motel art - a Joan Seed cultural critique
