Stuart Hawkins

Splitting her time between New York and Nepal, Stuart Hawkins’ partially staged photographs and eccentric videos call into question the power dynamic between undeveloped and developed nations. Often working with her Nepalese friends, Hawkins paints an unflattering portrait of the Western tourist in order to highlight the global divide between waste and wealth. Her videos often suggest bizarre sitcoms. For example, in her video piece The Naturalist (2008), a resort staff member is lured into performing animal sounds and birdcalls during a “happy hour” in order to entertain a Western audience that seeks to enjoy the authentic sounds of nature—and distract them from the reality that many of these sounds can no longer be heard.