Date of Award
Fall 12-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Art History and Visual Culture
First Advisor
Jeanette Nicewinter
Second Advisor
Khristin Landry-Montes
Third Advisor
Sarah Cantor
Abstract
This thesis focuses on a specific work by Cannupa Hanska Luger called This is Not a Snake. This project examines the materiality of the artwork, including beads, crochet, sewing, ceramics, and non-traditional materials. The materials used in this work address 21st-century indigenous issues while also promoting activism from the Water is Life movement, which is centered at Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota. The materials of this work are relative to Luger’s 21st-century contemporary style. The use of repurposed heavily merchandized inorganic materials refers to the protests in Standing Rock. This is Not a Snake was inspired by these events, activism that transpired and kept the construction materials at bay. Luger is an interdisciplinary artist raised on the Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota and he combines statements and cultural legends that persist with the characteristics of this particular installation. This essay discusses the fundamental aspects and how the Water is Life Movement inspired Luger’s installation, This is Not a Snake. The characteristics shown in This is Not a Snake also have spiked other cultural influences regarding climate change and environmental injustices worldwide. Through these materials, Luger uses artistic activism to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline and assert the agency of indigenous groups.
Recommended Citation
Vera, Rachel Daniela, "Native Activism and Materiality Through the Work of Cannupa Hanska Luger: A 21ST Century Indigenous Artist" (2020). Theses. 24.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/24