What Exactly is Anthropocene Art? 

Anthropocene art reveals the inextricability of human activity and the nonhuman world: it demonstrates how ‘natural’ things can never truly be natural again. The Anthropocene is the suggested geologic epoch that starts at the point in history where the earth can no longer return to its original form because of human activity. Anthropocene art’s duty is to show how the change has occurred. The art should show how our idea of “natural” has become so skewed by the prevalence of non-human factors that we have lost our ideal of natural. Anthropocene art does not have the responsibility to suggest solutions to our problems. The problems of the Anthropocene are problems of humanity, not one single human. The Anthropocene was caused by humanity’s

decision to ignore the needs of our planet, not just one human’s decision to ignore the needs of Earth. It should not be the duty of one artist to fix the problems humanity has created. The artist can suggest solutions, but it is not a requirement for art to be considered Anthropocene art. I believe that some of Durham’s work fits this definition of Anthropocene art. Durham’s sculptures show in a variety of ways the inability to humanity to separate our actions from the nonhuman world.

Although not all of Durham’s work meets the definition of Anthropocene, many of his pieces, including Cortez, Tlunh Datsi, and Bedia’s Muffler in the show “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World” do meet the definition of Anthropocene art. Durham uses his art, generally, to show the ridiculousness of today’s world and in this exhibit does that through contrasting traditional, “natural,” Native American art with modern industrial, Anthropocene materials.

A How to Guide: Analyzing Sculptures

Looking at sculpture art can be very uncomfortable for the casual art viewer because of how rare sculpture art has become in today’s world. When students of art examine a sculpture, they break it down into different areas. There are three main areas to examine when analyzing a sculpture. The first area is identification. Identification includes the name of the artist, the subject of the art, the current location of the art, where the art was created, the current owner of the art, among other things. The second area to be examined when analyzing a sculpture is the technical data. Technical Data includes the size of the art, the different materials used in the art, the condition of the art, and the techniques used to create the art. The final area looked at when analyzing a sculpture is the subject matter. Subject matter included the abstract ideas and representations the art creates(NLA Design). The subject matter is the part that is often quickly turned to but without the other two areas, identification and technical data, there is no abstract idea. The subject matter is not possible without the identification and technical data, making all three essential in analyzing a sculpture, like those created by Durham.

​Who is Jimmie Durham?

Jimmie Durham, a Cherokee Artist does sculpture art that combines our lives today with the traditions and images of native American history. Durham was born in in 1940 in Texas. Durham bases a lot of his art on his Cherokee roots even though he is not recognized by any of the Cherokee nations. To be considered a Cherokee citizen, your family must have been present with the tribe when roll was called when the tribe was forced out of their land(Vulture).  Although he does not have Cherokee citizenship, he has been very active in American Indian Movement working as a political organizer in the fight for full rights and citizenship for Native Americans. After working with American Indian Movement, Durham moved to the New York to work on his visual art and his poetry(Hammer Museum). Durham then moved to Mexico and later Europe where he currently lives now. Durham’s work had not been focused on in the United States for almost twenty years until his recent project, “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World,” was debuted at the Hammer Museum at UCLA and now currently is on display at the Whitney Museum in New York City(Whitney) Durham’s art has historically has covered a wide variety of topics but a majority “poke fun at history” and point out the absurdities of the world that we live in. Durham does not only do sculpture art, he also had created videos and other interact art pieces. His most recent show, “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World” mostly consists of his sculpture works. 

​Tlunh Datsi

When we first look at Tlunh Datsi we must examine the identification. The sculpture is currently on display in the Whitney Museum in New York City as part of the exhibit, “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World.” The art was created by and is currently owned by Jimmie Durham.  Secondly we must look at the technical data. The sculpture was created from a Puma skull, shells, turquoise, turkey feathers, metal, sheep and deer fur, pine, and acrylic paint. The sculpture stands at a little over 1 meter tall (103 × 91 × 81 cm). The sculpture is still in excellent condition(Phaidon). Lastly we must look at the subject matter. I believe the key relationship being shown here is between the Puma Skull and the police barricade that Durham painted. Durham is contrasting the traditional native American symbol of the Puma, which was an omen of bad fortune, with the police (Native-Language). He is saying that Puma’s have been disappearing as omens of misfortune and have been replaced with police presence. This is extremely relevant because of all the recent police brutality against native Americans in the Standing Rock protests last year. This piece of art is Anthropocene art because it shows how traditional native American omens no longer can be natural because we have affected the natural world so much. Durham demonstrates how the issues that Native Americans have not changed in their root but have become more and more rooted in humanity, rather than nature.

Cortez
To analyze Cortez, we must see the different aspects of its identification. The sculpture is currently on display in the Whitney Museum in New York City as part of the exhibit, “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World.” The art was created by and is currently owned by Jimmie Durham. The technical data stats with the materials the sculpture is made of. The art is made out of Fiberglass and resin, PVC, metal car parts, leather, glass, acrylic paint, rebar, sheet metal, pulleys, and handles. The sculpture stands at just over 2 meters tall (225 × 145 × 52 cm). The sculpture is in excellent condition(Phaidon).  The concept of self-portraits can be and has been extremely empowering for many Native American artists. The portraits give the artists the ability to show the differences between their culture and the dominant culture. Cortez is Durham’s example of a piece of art like this. The sculpture shows how even our bodies can not be natural anymore because our world is now dominated by industry. Instead of trying to look natural or using more natural material, Durham made Cortez completely out of metal piping. This material choice shows how we, as humanity, have become so industrial and reliant on big industry that our bodies can no longer be natural. Another possible interpretation is that Durham is critical of the way we look at the human body today. Often times, the body is treated as simply a system of organs. We have taken out the body’s inherent value and demoted it to a system of flesh and skin that we can manipulate, much like we do with the world around us.

Bedia’s Muffler
 The sculpture is currently on display in the Whitney Museum in New York City as part of the exhibit, “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World.” The art was created by and is currently owned by Jimmie Durham. This sculpture was created with very few pieces. This sculpture consists of a car muffler, paint, and a traditional bow string(Phaidon). The contrast Durham intends to show is between a traditional Native American bow and a car muffler. To Native Americans the bow represents a lot of deep feelings and ties to their culture. It is a right of passage for many young men to create their own bow. The tradition is passed down from generation to generation in each tribe. The bow was more than just cultural though, it had practical uses for hunting, and surviving in everyday life(Cain). The muffler used to make the bow represents the modern-day automobile. The automobile stands also can be seen as a right of passage from childhood into adulthood. Young adults often feel a deep attachment to their first cars. In addition, a car is almost essential for much of the country today in order to be able to work a job and survive. The bow and the car both serve the same essential function. Their main difference is the impact they have on the planet. The bow does no long-term damage to the planet while the car symbolizes our world’s dependency on fossil fuels and the destruction that dependency has caused.


Works Cited

“Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World - Hammer Museum.” The Hammer Museum, 2 Aug. 2017, hammer.ucla.edu/exhibitions/2017/jimmie-durham-at-the-center-of-the-world/.

“Big names turn out for Jimmie Durham opening | Art | Agenda.” Phaidon, www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2017/march/13/big-names-turn-out-for-jimmie-durham-opening/.  Snauwaert, Dirk, et al. Jimmie Durham. Phaidon Press Limited, 2017.
 
Museum, N.Y Digital image ©Whitney. “What If Jimmie Durham, Noted Cherokee Artist, Is Not Actually Cherokee?” Vulture, 1 Nov. 2017, www.vulture.com/2017/11/jimmie-durham-at-the-center-of-the-world-whitney-museum.html.
 
Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the WorldNov 3, 2017–Jan 28, 2018.” Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World | Whitney Museum of American Art, whitney.org/Exhibitions/JimmieDurham.

Cain , Shawna. “Bois d'arc and Cherokee bow making.” Cherokee Phoenix, www.cherokeephoenix.org/Article/Index/3557.

“How to Analyse Sculpture.” NLA Design and Visual Arts, 21 Jan. 2013, nladesignvisual.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/how-to-analyse-sculpture/.
 
“Native American Cougar Mythology.” Native American Indian Cougar Legends, Meaning and Symbolism from the Myths of Many Tribes, www.native-languages.org/legends-cougar.htm.