James Luna is a Mexican American performance artist and multimedia installation artist. He was born in Orange, California and raised in Orange County. After graduating high school, Luna attended UCI, where he earned his fine arts degree. In 1975, Luna moved to La Jolia Indian Reservation and has lived there ever since. James Luna initially began his career as a painter, to later turn unto a performance and installation artist. He was inspired to turn to this type of art after struggling with his identity. Luna's art has often been described as contemplative and controversial because he chooses to personalize his message and provide a voice for his under represented culture. Luna states thathis work is not meant to be political, saying it is not his job to teach people how to behave and act, instead his intention is to "break" taboos by bringing up his own, along with the many struggles his culture has had to face.
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| James Luna is his performance "The Artifact Piece" |
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| End of the Frail. The "ill-fated indian" |
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"Luna has found a comfortable place to create in the space where contemporary art and its concerns with parody, ritual and autobiography intersect with the traditional attitudes of Indian culture."
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Petroglyphs in Motion
James LUna has gained wide acclaim for his deconstruction of stereotypes and notions of "Indian" identity. He has performed and exhibited in some of the most prestigious museums in the United States, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
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| A representation of Luna's pride in the Indian Culture |
"Theater is not what I am, though there are any number of similarities. Installation is very broad and that's one of its strengths. I approach it as I approach a painting. I don't think about acting. I am not a trained actor. But that's not to say that I don't script or monologue. I do, but it comes out of the art."- James Luna
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