Brian Jungen

Jungen initially produced sculptures, working with everyday objects such as a pair of Nike trainers, to create museum-like anthropological artefacts. His current practice involves an increasing range of materials and techniques drawn from the cultural vocabulary of First Nations people.

Brian Jungen carves ‘feathers’ from the soles of Nike trainers to create a series of sculptures that resemble Cheyenne-style war bonnets. Presented at Tate Liverpool, these headdresses, familiar from countless Westerns, addressed a long history of conflict and the lingering effects of colonisation. They signified the strength and pride of indigenous people today.

Modest Livelihood by Brian Jungen and Duane Linklater was filmed during two hunting trips in Dane-zaa Territory in Northern British Columbia in 2011. The film, which is presented at St George’s Hall, follows the artists and Jungen’s uncle as they move through the landscape. For Jungen, of Dane-zaa and European ancestry, and Linklater, who is Omaskêko Cree, the ritual of the hunt is a customary practice of ancestral tradition central to their First Nations identity, and is inextricable from the century-old treaty rights of First Nations, which the title of the film references.

In 2002 he was the first artist to be awarded Canada’s prestigious Sobey Art Award. Recent exhibitions include National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (2017); Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada (2013); 11th Shanghai Biennial, China (2012); dOCUMENTA (13), Kassel, Germany (2012); Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada (2011); Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of the American Indian, Washington DC, USA (2009); Witte de With, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2007); and Tate Modern, London, UK (2006).

Brian Jungen at Liverpool Biennial 2018

Warrior 1, Warrior 3 and Warrior 4, 2017
Nike Air Jordans, leather
Exhibited at Tate Liverpool

Brian Jungen and Duane Linklater
Modest Livelihood, 2012
Super 16mm film transferred to Blu-ray, 50 min
Exhibited at St George’s Hall