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John Feodorov: I'm real interested [br]in using, like, kitsch objects

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and trying to create spiritual-like altars.

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This sort of weird disneyfication of [br]nature that happens in western society,

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you know, whereas in native mythologies, [br]animals are extremely powerful totem symbols,

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demanding, you know, fear and respect.

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So those contradictions are [br]real important in my work.

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You know, in kind of trying to blend [br]them into sort of a hybrid mythology.

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"Forest at night" is made up of 12 trees. [br]Each tree has 12 arms on each side.

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And 12 is something that's important [br]in both Christian and Navajo mythology.

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And then, in a little plate in front [br]of each tree stump is some sawdust,

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sort of like ashes of someone who's been cremated.

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I'm more interested in the ambiguity. [br]I think the ambiguity is where,

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you know, the spiritual lies.

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That's how Navajos sing "Old Macdonald."

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Woman: yes, I'm riding my donkey up the hill.

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[ singing in Navajo ]

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That's how he bumps up and down.

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Woman: Sing with grandma.[br][ singing in Navajo ]

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Feodorov: I have this background [br]of a traditional Navajo

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and this sort of outsider Christian [br]background of Jehovah's Witnesses,

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which are completely opposed to each other.

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And I'm, like, in the middle, trying to [br]kind of, you know, make sense out of it.

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Grandma: This is grandpa again with his horses.

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And grandma with her horse and hillary [br]ready to go somewhere, to a powwow.

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Feodorov: my grandmother was a hand trembler.

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And people would go to her, and her hand [br]would begin to tremble and she would,

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like, answer questions for them.

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And hand tremblers sort of, are oracles.

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Grandma: here's grandma and grandpa again.

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And then -- oh, here you are. [br]You're walking with Grandpa.

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Feodorov: I spent just about every summer [br]with my grandparents on the reservation

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until probably, like, 15.

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Grandmother: Grandpa always looks [br]so serious, but he's very comical.

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Feodorov: well, my grandfather [br]used to be a yei be chei dancer,

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which is one of the ritualistic [br]dances, where they put on the mask,

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and they become the gods.

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You know, when they start dancing, [br]the spirit enters into them.

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The bear is a very, very powerful totem [br]symbol for Native American cultures.

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Behind these masks are cuddly, cute little faces.

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It's turning these teddy bears [br]into powerful totem symbols,

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sort of giving them back their power.

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But also they would be products [br]that consumers could buy.

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So at the same time, we'd be [br]stripping them of their power.

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They're just sort of examples of the [br]issue of commodifying spirituality.

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People think that, you know, [br]many times when they buy –

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or at least the advertising [br]wants people to believe that

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buying something will change their [br]lives or have an effect on their lives.

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Well, this is something that is [br]just outright telling you that.

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I made a little handbook that [br]would accompany your purchase.

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"Congratulations, you have just purchased [br]the most important product of your life.

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If your life is not going [br]the way you wish it would,

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chances are you have somehow [br]offended your totem teddy.

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If this is the case, use the [br]handy spinning oracle to determine

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what you must do to appease [br]your offended totem teddy."

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And it always goes to "Try again."

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"Warning -- the consumer must use extreme caution

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when performing any of the [br]following dances and chants."

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You know, like Christians, you know, [br]"Please, God, forgive me for this,"

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or, you know, "Please, God, let me have..."

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You know, there's none of [br]that in Navajo mythology.

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You basically do the ritual [br]and it has to go right.

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If, you know, your situation has to be corrected.

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If it's not, well, it's because [br]you did the ritual wrong.

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I'm not debunking spirituality, [br]I'm not making fun of it, I am…

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well, yeah, I am.

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But the thing is is that it's only [br]because I think it's necessary.

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Years of spoon-bending research has shown

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that employees who frequently [br]journey to the world of the dead

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come back as highly motivated employees,

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exactly what you need to [br]be on top and stay on top.

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That's why we developed the Office Shaman.

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But, you're probably asking [br]yourself, where's the shaman?

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That's the beauty part.

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We have highly trained licensed shamans [br]available to guide your employees

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through their spirit quests.

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Here's a potential motivated employee right now.

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What's your name, sir?

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It's Paul.

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Paul, now, don't be afraid, but I kill you [br]from the south, I kill you from the east.

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Feodorov: Paul Stewart and I have [br]been collaborating on music and,

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sort of, performance art [br]pieces for almost 20 years.

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–You're passing through the [br]world of fire, of water.

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I am now going to sprinkle you with [br]the grave dirt of your ancestors.

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The animal spirits have now been [br]pacified. And here are their messages.

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Paul, stand up. Welcome back. How do you feel?

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I feel fine.

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Now, back to work.

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Thanks, Office Shaman.

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Feodorov: I'm still not really [br]interested in making comfortable works,

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like Matisse said, you know, that [br]art should be like a comfy chair.

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I think it should be provoking.

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Since I knew that these were paintings [br]that were going to be in office spaces,

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I wanted to create paintings that were [br]showing the environment that, you know,

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that the workers were in.

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Seeing the corporation as like a heaven.

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You know, you have all these [br]different steps of deities.

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The composition is obviously modeled [br]on, like, early medieval icons.

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The CEO is seated in the throne [br]like a Christ figure would be

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in the tympanum area of a cathedral.

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And the hand is shaped like a pose, you know,

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that the Christ figure makes, which [br]is a blessing pose for the hand.

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Of course, you know, he's stuck a cigar in there,

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which has completely defiled that tradition.

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And to see the CO as, you know,

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not just a guy that gets paid [br]a big salary, but as a deity.

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On very few paintings have I known what I [br]was going to do when I started the painting.

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For me it has to happen as I'm doing it, you know?

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It's a battle for me, it always is. It's [br]like this canvas is like mocking me,

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saying, you know, I dare you [br]to make something out of me.

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So it's something for me that's not really an [br]enjoyable process, it's a struggle, you know?

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And I guess I like the struggle.