Brian Jungen

Additional Information

Brian Jungen Prototype for New Understanding #5, 1999, Nike Air Jordans, hair Photo Credit: Linda Chinfen

Brian Jungen addresses issues of contemporary urban aboriginal identity. An artist based in Vancouver, he will present a series of traditional West coast masks, fabricated out of Nike Air Jordan trainers. The masks circumscribe an economy of signs and meaning familiar to urban native youths, and extending to other communities. He states: "...to many contemporary urban Indians, a vast amount of energy is spent locating oneself within an Indian 'spectrum', which is ultimately defined by an inherited economy of imagery and iconography sewn into the public consciousness. Ironically, settling on a place within the slippery slope of Indian self-identity will always be posterior to how Indians are identified within the dominant culture; especially classical ethnographic reflections of Indian cultures." During the summer, the Dunlop will organize a continuation of Jungen's reverse ethnographic survey through random interviews, a process which has been conducted previously in Vancouver and Calgary.