Casey Kaplan
ArtForum Review
“Brian Jungen’s long-awaited exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario—curated with great flair by Kitty Scott—began in a playful setting reminiscent of a basketball court, complete with multihued vinyl lines applied to black gym flooring, within which Jungen’s trademark soft sculptures were distributed like team members. Freed from the constraints of a vitrine, the series “Prototype for New Understanding,” 1998–2005, in which Jungen repurposes Nike Air Jordan sneakers as Northwest Coast masks, could be closely scrutinized. These intricately tailored works are feats of crafted composition, with their willowy strands of human hair, tongues (referring, of course, to both human and shoe anatomies), prominent fastenings (which can come across as piercings), and logos (often positioned as eyes and depicting Jordan making a jump shot). Collectively, these features reference obsessive celebrity worship, s/m (with the leather bindings implying the inhibition of senses), and cultures and customs associated with masquerade (present and historic, within social, art, or sporting contexts).” – Dan Adler