44/150: Brian Jungen – Cultural Touchstones

Brian Jungen (b: 1970) is an acclaimed Canadian artist who is internationally renowned for his elaborate sculptures and installations inspired by his experience of post-industrial consumerism and his own First Nations heritage. The works are made from re-purposed consumer goods  (think Nike Air Jordan trainers, above, or plastic chairs, below).

The Art Gallery of Ontario opens his newest solo exhibition June 19. A graduate of Emily Carr College of Art and Design, he won the inaugural Sobey Art Award in 2002 and the prestigious Gershon Iskowitz Prize in 2010. Jungen explores a history of cultural inequality, concern for the environment and a commitment to Indigenous ways of knowing and making, the AGO says.

Lay Down Tender Fire, 2015–2016, nike air jordans, painted fir plywood, stainless steel, 100 x 17 x 24 in. (254 x 43 x 61 cm) via Catriona Jeffries https://bit.ly/2Xsv0uV

Walk This Way (Fall), 2015–2016, nike air jordans, painted fir plywood, stainless steel, 75 x 24 x 24 in. (191 x 61 x 61 cm) via Catriona Jeffries https://bit.ly/2Xsv0uV

In 2015, Jungen made a new series of sculptures from Air Jordan trainers, which coincided with the 30-year anniversary of the product’s release (above).

The artist used the same tools utilized in initial manufacture of these sneakers, such as a band saw, punches, rivets, drills, and an industrial sewing machine, but he employed techniques drawn from the history and vocabulary of many First Nations’ visual cultures, says gallery Catriona Jeffries, which represents him.

He first came to prominence for his now famous Prototypes for New Understanding (1998-2005); a series of sculpture created with Nike sneakers to resemble Northwest Coast Aboriginal masks. He would later focus on sports paraphernalia – catchers mitts, baseball bats, and basket ball jerseys for his sculptures. Jungen has said it is a deliberate choice to create works out of materials produced by the sports industry; an industry that appropriates Aboriginal terminology, such as the team names The Chiefs, Indians, Redskins and Braves.

Born in Fort St. John, B.C. to a Swiss artist father and a Dane-Zaa mother, Jungen is best known for the deconstructed Nike works.  But he has also stacked golf bags to form totem poles and made the whale skeleton (Cetology, top of post) out of plastic chairs purchased at Canadian Tire.

Brian Jungen exhibits frequently, has held solo exhibitions in New York, London and beyond, and was the first living artist to be shown at the National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. in 2009. Jungen’s work has been included in recent group exhibitions at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas (2018); Liverpool Biennial (2018); Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe (2017); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2017, 2013); and the 9th Shanghai Biennale (2012).

Brian Jungen at Catriona Jeffries, which represents him, here.

At the National Gallery of Canada, here.

Art Gallery of Ontario feature, here.

Excellent archived feature in a magazine of The Smithsonian, here.

This is #44 in the series 150 Artists.