Currently indexing
Artist RegionInternational
DescriptionThis work of photomontage places an image of actress Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope next to a 1906 Edward Curtis image of a young Hopi-Tewa woman, whose distinctive “squash blossom” hairstyle greatly resembles the iconic hairstyle associated with the Star Wars character. This is a commentary on cultural appropriation in popular media, especially in fantasy and science fiction, which commonly adopts visual signifiers from non-Western cultures, but features almost exclusively white directors and actors. Galanin’s work comments upon how a massive media franchise like Star Wars has created and perpetuated a visual language immediately recognizable to the vast majority of people with any exposure to Western media, utilizing decontextualized imagery derived from non-Western cultures.
Materials Giclee print
ClassificationPrint
Dimensions
73.7 × 58.4 cm (29 × 23 in.)
Object number HUM-2014-00004
Edition Edition 8/10
In Collection(s):
Location
Lakeshore Campus, Storage
Credit Line Courtesy Humber Galleries