HTML PLAIN TEXT COPY <h1>Watch: His fusion of sci-fi and Indigenous identity is art that (literally) moves</h1> <p> <em>"This story was originally published by <a href="https://grist.org" title="Grist">Grist</a>. Sign up for Grist's <a href="https://go.grist.org/signup/weekly/partner?utm_campaign=republish-content&utm_medium=syndication&utm_source=partner" title="Weekly newsletter">weekly newsletter here</a>."</em> </p> <p class="has-drop-cap">Popular media often relegates Native peoples to a historical context, or to stereotypes. Narratives that accurately portray or even recognize Indigeneity today are few and far between. “One of the reasons why I’m encouraged to participate within the realm of art is that there are generations of Native people who don’t get to see ourselves in a public sphere,” says <a href="https://grist.org/fix/fixers/#cannupa-hanska-luger" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Cannupa Hanska Luger</strong></a>, a mixed-media artist and enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Tribe. </p> <p>In <a href="http://www.cannupahanska.com/mmiwqtbeadproject" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one project</a> centered on the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and trans and queer people, Luger invited affected communities to create clay beads to represent their lost loved ones. He then fired, stained, and compiled the beads into a massive mosaic portrait, completed in 2018. With each of the beads — more than 4,000 in total — representing a life, the artwork humanized the data behind the crisis. Many of his projects have been built on collective participation. </p> <p>Luger’s current work falls under an overarching theme he calls “future ancestral technology.” It’s an <a href="http://www.cannupahanska.com/fat" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Indigenous futurism project</a>, including a speculative narrative of the next 30,000 years in which colonialism collapses and society has an opportunity to rebuild. This and other works combine science fiction, technology, and Native knowledge and practices in what Luger calls “a way to share technology from my ancestors as we move into a world more desperate for sustainability.” </p> <p>This year’s <a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Grist 50</a> features five short documentaries on innovators like Luger: emerging leaders — we call them <a href="https://grist.org/fix/fixers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fixers</a> — who are tackling climate and justice from every imaginable angle. Check out the video above to learn more about Luger and see some of his work. </p> <p><em>[Previous video: </em><a href="https://grist.org/fix/video-behind-new-york-city-first-bike-powered-compost-service/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Behind New York City’s first bike-powered compost service</em></a><em>]</em></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator" /> <p><em>Discover more Grist 50 honorees working toward a more sustainable, equitable world:</em></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"><li><span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/fix/social-media-fixers-follow-grist-50/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Social media wizards who will uplift your feed</em></a></span></li><li><span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/fix/grist-50-meet-five-fixers-who-put-food-on-your-table/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Innovators changing the way we think about food</em></a></span></li><li><span style="text-decoration: underline"><a href="https://grist.org/fix/grist-50-artist-fixers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Artists producing provocative, justice-centering work </em></a></span></li><li><em>Explore the full </em><a href="https://grist.org/grist-50/2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em><span style="text-decoration: underline">2021 Grist 50 list</span></em></a><em> to discover more Fixers making a better future happen today</em></li></ul> <p>This article originally appeared in <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist</a> at <a href="https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/cannupa-hanska-luger-grist-50-multimedia-artist-indigenous-identity-video/">https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/cannupa-hanska-luger-grist-50-multimedia-artist-indigenous-identity-video/</a>.</p> <link href="https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/cannupa-hanska-luger-grist-50-multimedia-artist-indigenous-identity-video/" rel="canonical"/> <p>Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at <a href="https://grist.org/">Grist.org</a></p> <script id="grist-syndication-pixel" async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id=" data-source="repub" data-canonical="https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/cannupa-hanska-luger-grist-50-multimedia-artist-indigenous-identity-video/" data-title="Watch: His fusion of sci-fi and Indigenous identity is art that (literally) moves" crossorigin="anonymous"/>