Artworks that carry history
Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger turns to the American bison as a lens on the country's past in "American Traditional," an exhibition at Garth Greenan Gallery. The works combine materials including ironstone clay, sumi ink and wood to create a striking, monochromatic visual language.
One sculpture presents an abstracted bison on a charred 19th-century dining table; another arrangement brings together bison skull forms and vintage axes. The objects connect domestic and historical imagery, inviting visitors to consider the animal's significance to Indigenous communities and the impact of its mass slaughter during westward expansion.
By bringing these histories into a contemporary gallery, Luger's exhibition shows how art can deepen public engagement with the past--and help shape more thoughtful conversations about cultural memory in the future.
