Crux (as seen from those who sleep on the surface of the earth under the night sky), 2008

Brian Jungen transforms familiar consumer goods into unexpected objects that question globalization, pop culture, museums, and the commodification of Native culture.

Created on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbor for the 2008 Sydney Biennale, Crux depicts animals native to Australia which figure prominently in the constellations defined by Indigenous Australians: a crocodile, an emu, a shark, a possum, and a sea eagle. Crux is the formal name for the constellation commonly known as the Southern Cross. The mobile suggests themes of displacement and disorientation, lost luggage, and the question of who has the right to name the stars.

See Crux on display in the Potomac Atrium of the National Museum of the American Indian.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Brian Jungen
• Strange Comfort
• NMAI
• DC
• Crux