Born and raised in New Mexico, Jacob Gutierrez is a product of his environment, maintaining a deep connection to his culture and traditions through his art. Gutierrez uses his work to invite people into his heart and family while shedding new light on the concept of sanctity.
In Sacred Herd, a 17-panel, wire-edge artbook, Gutierrez explores New Mexican history by elevating the animals who have been by our side throughout time. His ancestors survived by relying on generational knowledge, faith, and traditions passed down to ensure co-survival with the land and its beings.
In a time marked by increased communication but diminished connection, ranchers and sheepherders still honor the profound reciprocal relationship shared between humans and animals, understanding that both beings exist because of the other. During his residency with Risolana, Gutierrez visited ranches and herds across New Mexico and the Navajo Nation, honoring these animals through photographs, stories, and hand-carved woodblock prints ultimately translated into risograph prints displayed in his one-of-a-kind artbook. Sacred Herd is the culmination of seven months spent sharing meals, tending to livestock, and learning about sacred human-animal connections.
Sacred Herd is a limited edition of 36, utilizing the complex and precise wire-edge binding technique popularized by master bookbinder Daniel Kelm. The edition is dedicated to the ranchers and sheepherders who made this book possible, with six copies of the edition gifted to each person represented in the book as a final act of reciprocity and honor.
*Given the book's highly limited run, Sacred Herd will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. We kindly ask all interested institutions and collectors to submit their inquiries and reservation requests immediately via email to risolana.abq@gmail.com.