Performagraphic
Performagraphic is James Luna’s first ever survey of photographic works. The collection spans a period of photographic works and accompanying objects created between 2010-2014, referencing his artistic career of over 30 years.
Approaching his work head on, with biting humor and irony, his powerful works transform the gallery space into a battlefield, where the audience is confronted with the nature of cultural identity, the tensions generated by cultural isolation, and the dangers of cultural misinterpretations from an Indigenous perspective. Performagraphic is more a lesson in expressive bodywork than that of standard photography presentation.
The viewer finds the merging of his performance ideals into photographic stills that exist as much more than documentation but rather stand alone images addressing cultural identity, representation/history and the spiritual world. Approaching his work head on, with biting humor and irony, his powerful works transform the gallery space into a battlefield, where the audience is confronted with the nature of cultural identity, the tensions generated by cultural isolation, and the dangers of cultural misinterpretations from an Indigenous perspective. Performagraphic is more a lesson in expressive bodywork than that of standard photography presentation.
Approaching his work head on, with biting humor and irony, his powerful works transform the gallery space into a battlefield, where the audience is confronted with the nature of cultural identity, the tensions generated by cultural isolation, and the dangers of cultural misinterpretations from an Indigenous perspective. Performagraphic is more a lesson in expressive bodywork than that of standard photography presentation.
The viewer finds the merging of his performance ideals into photographic stills that exist as much more than documentation but rather stand alone images addressing cultural identity, representation/history and the spiritual world. Approaching his work head on, with biting humor and irony, his powerful works transform the gallery space into a battlefield, where the audience is confronted with the nature of cultural identity, the tensions generated by cultural isolation, and the dangers of cultural misinterpretations from an Indigenous perspective. Performagraphic is more a lesson in expressive bodywork than that of standard photography presentation.
