CV120 - Dana Claxton, Portraits & Regalia — Skeena Reece
Ciel variable 120 - Figures of Affirmation (Summer 2022)
Portfolios (Individual article, digital version)
Dana Claxton, Portraits & Regalia
C’est de l’amour ou une photographie – tout dépend du point de vue | It’s Love or a Photograph – Depends on How You See It
— Skeena Reece
The Mustang Suite, Headdress, Lasso, and NDN Ironworkers offer a series of portraits, all taken in studio, with the subjects in poses that often have a performative dimension and sometimes surprising arrangements of objects, facial paint, and clothing. From the contemporary Indigenous family to the stouthearted high-rise construction workers, composite versions of the traditional totemic mask, and lasso manoeuvres by an “Indian” turned cowboy, the many identities of contemporary Indigeneity are joyously and proudly displayed. In Skeena Reece’s words, Dana Claxton “both invites and demands; we can feel empowered and put in our place simultaneously.” “That’s Dana,” writes Reece. “She is quietly and unequivocally resolute in her intention to invite us to consider what we know and what we think we know about Indigenous art. She is a trailblazer for all artists.”
Details
Language : English & French
Digital Version : PDF, 8.6 Mb
Bibliographical Notice
Skeena Reece, “Dana Claxton, Portraits & Regalia — It’s Love or a Photograph – Depends on How You See It” in Ciel variable, No. 120, Montreal, 2022, p. 12-23.