April 2007
Brian Jungen
In 1984, a MOMA exhibition on “Primitivism in 20th Century Art” drew criticism for juxtaposing tribal artifacts with works by Picasso and other modern artists. Anthropologist James Clifford and others objected to the breakdown of the aesthetic/anthropological divide and the decontextualization of the artifacts. More than 20 years later, Canadian artist Brian Jungen boldly takes up those lingering tensions in an epon ymous exhibition at the Villa Stuck. His abstract pieces approach a tribal aesthetic, and are indeed composed of potent symbols from our own modern community—Nike sneakers or hair, for example. Jungen’s exhibition challenges the meanings of identity and authenticity in our hybrid culture, on display until May 20.
