Ben Rybisky is an artist of Dakota descent based out of the Twin Cities and New York City. His work has evolved from his earliest experiences, beginning with his use of disposable cameras, to the making of his own digital large format camera. Using this camera, he works to create his own relation to his Indigeneity, speaking to others similarly caught between worlds with severed connections.

Plagued by stereotypes perpetuating the falsehood that Indigenous people are a people of the past; a people conquered, killed, and since lost to time, Rybisky reclaims his presence from them by stating we’re still here.

The photographs distort reality in such a way that viewers are confronted with their preconceived notions of what Indigenous people are. The connection to his people and history is passed down by the grandmothers and aunts that have shaped him. Waciƞ Yuza defines what his Indigeneity means to him through this legacy.