Raven Chacon: Revolutionary Listening Through Sound and Silence

Raven Chacon, a composer and artist from the Diné community, uses music and installations to confront prevalent narratives of American history and the erasure of Indigenous peoples. His Pulitzer Prize-winning work, Voiceless Mass (2021), debuted in Wisconsin and has been showcased in numerous churches. Chacon examines the political implications of silence and investigates instruments associated with imperialism. His notable pieces include Dispatch (2020), which addresses the Standing Rock protests, and Silent Choir (Standing Rock) (2017–22), featuring field recordings. Other works like Owl Song (2021) and Tremble Staves (2017–19) symbolize bird wings and water, respectively. Chacon, who studied at the University of New Mexico and CalArts, is a member of Postcommodity and is curating I See Red for the Deep Time festival in Edinburgh, scheduled for 27–29 November 2025. This article is authored by Geeta Dayal for ArtReview's Summer 2025 issue.