“Native Carrying Some Guns, Bibles, Amorites on Safari” is an artwork created by Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. Executed in pencil on canvas, this work belongs to the Neo-Expressionism and Street Art movements. Measuring 133 x 183 cm, it is a figurative piece and currently resides in a private collection.
The artwork features Basquiat’s signature style, blending primitive motifs with modern critiques of colonialism and exploitation. It includes abstract, childlike drawings and texts that convey the complex history and consequences of colonialism. Large, expressive strokes and symbolic imagery such as the crown and references to “TUSKS” and “MISSIONARIES” hint at the exploitation of natural resources and native people. The chaotic arrangement of text and imagery evokes the disruption and turmoil that colonialism inflicted on indigenous cultures.
