Brian Jungen: Cetology
East Gallery
January 24, 2003 – May 25, 2003
The first solo presentation in the U.S. of Vancouver-based artist Brian Jungen, this East Gallery exhibition at first glance might have appeared to be more suited to a natural history museum than a contemporary art institution. “Cetology” is a giant sculpture in the form of a whale’s skeleton fashioned from plastic patio-chairs. The metaphor of the endangered Bowhead whale crafted from mass-produced, globally-ubiquitous consumer items provided many associations, enriched by the artist’s own First Nations ancestry. Jungen’s work is transformative; common store-bought commodities become evocative media. Also on view was one in a series of Nike Air Jordans re-fashioned into replicas of North West Coast First Nations’ masks. First Nations iconography, global economies, and art worlds collide in Jungen’s work, creating dialogues ripe with humor and allusion.