Brian Jungen (born in Fort St. John, British Columbia April 29, 1970) is a Canadian artist from British Columbia with Swiss and Dunne-za First Nations ancestry. He graduated from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1992 and is based in Vancouver.
I think that Jungen's "Prototypes of New Understanding" are an amazing piece of contemporary Native art. From the artist: "It was interesting to see how by simply manipulating the Air Jordan shoes you could evoke specific cultural traditions whilst simultaneously amplifying the process of cultural corruption and assimilation. The Nike mask sculptures seemed to articulate a paradoxical relationship between a consumerist artefact and an 'authentic' native artifact."
Brian Jungen's work exemplifies many of the syntheses and contradictions in contemporary First Nations art in a beautiful, humorous and accessible way, and we're going to enrich this page significantly over time with interviews, video and images to help share this work with more people.
NMAI curator Paul Chaat Smith agrees. "He's found a way to talk about an Indian experience using new materials and new ideas in a way that opens up a space for a lot of artists, native and otherwise,"
Read more at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/ATM-Back-to-Basics.html#ixzz2...
Wikipedia: Brian Jungen
Brian Jungen: Strange Comfort: The complete site at NMAI for this important show.
Fetishism, Curiosity, and the Work of Brian Jungen from Fillip
NPR: Brian Jungen: Crafting Everyday Objects Into Art
The Walrus: Air Jungen, How one Vancouver artist is breaking down cultural and consumer stereotypes
Meet the Artist: Brian Jungen Recorded: Thursday May 6, 2010 @ Baillie Court, Art Gallery of Ontario, Duration: 1:07:41
Brian Jungen: Sculpture
