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Cannupa Hanska Luger’s exhibition “American Traditional” is on view at Garth Greenan Gallery in New York. In a Hyperallergic review, editor-at-large Hrag Vartanian describes works combining sculpted bison forms, wood, ink and archival references to confront the slaughter of buffalo by European settlers during westward expansion. The report does not provide the exhibition’s closing date or a response from the gallery or artist.
Artist Cannupa Hanska Luger’s “American Traditional” is on view at Garth Greenan Gallery in Soho, New York, in an exhibition whose sculptures confront the slaughter of bison by European settlers during westward expansion. In a review published by Hyperallergic, editor-at-large Hrag Vartanian describes works combining animal forms, wood, ink and archival references, calling the show a shift toward a more declarative approach.
Among the works Vartanian describes is an abstracted bison made from ironstone clay and sumi ink, placed on a burned and blackened 19th-century American dining table. Another arrangement features a stack of bison skulls on a surface with vintage axes serving as table legs. The review links these materials and forms to the history of the animals’ mass killing during European settlement and westward expansion.
Vartanian writes that the sculptures’ visual appeal can draw viewers in while the history of destruction remains embedded in their elements. He calls the exhibition Luger’s “strongest work yet” and says it moves away from the participatory, ceramics-heavy projects for which the artist is best known, bringing together wood, ink and archival material instead.
The review also recalls an 1892 photograph showing two men beside a large pile of bison skulls. At the Baltimore Museum of Art, the image was covered by a small wall-mounted curtain designed by Yurok artist Stormi Turner as part of the exhibition “Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum.” Vartanian describes that intervention as a way to acknowledge the tragedy represented by the photograph and the relationship many Native American communities have had with bison.
Bison Slaughter Shapes the Show
The exhibition places the history of bison destruction at the center of its visual language rather than treating the animal as a neutral symbol of the American West. The works connect domestic and historical objects—a dining table, axes, skull forms and ink—to the violence of expansion, asking viewers to read familiar materials alongside a record of mass killing.
That framing matters because bison have been part of the lives and relationships of many Indigenous communities for millennia, as Vartanian notes. The review’s account of Turner’s intervention at the Baltimore Museum of Art also points to choices museums face when displaying images of historical violence: how to make evidence visible while acknowledging the harm and care involved in looking at it.
These are interpretations of the work and its presentation, not a stated response from the gallery or artist in the supplied material. The report gives readers a critic’s account of how the exhibition addresses this history and why its materials carry significance beyond their appearance.
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From Museum Archive to Gallery
Vartanian connects his response to “American Traditional” with an earlier encounter at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The 1892 photograph of men beside a hill of bison skulls was shown behind a small curtain designed by Stormi Turner in “Preoccupied: Indigenizing the Museum.” Visitors had to move the covering to see the image, an arrangement Vartanian compares to museum practices for presenting human remains, such as warnings or barriers that require an active choice to proceed.
That memory resurfaced when he entered Luger’s exhibition. The review says Luger is known for participatory projects and ceramics, but describes this show as a more declarative combination of wood, ink and archival references. The account does not set out a full chronology of the artist’s practice; it focuses on this change in approach and the historical subject the critic sees running through the works.
““strongest work yet””
— Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic editor-at-large
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Exhibition Dates and Responses
The supplied report does not state when “American Traditional” opened or closes, how many works are included, or whether the gallery has published additional information about the installation. It also provides no direct statement from Luger or Garth Greenan Gallery explaining the artist’s intentions, so the interpretation presented here is grounded in Vartanian’s review.
The report identifies the historical subject as the slaughter of buffalo by European settlers but does not supply estimates, a detailed timeline or further historical sourcing. Those specifics should not be inferred from the artworks or the review alone.
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Check the Gallery’s Exhibition Details
Readers seeking current visiting information should consult Garth Greenan Gallery for the exhibition schedule and access details; those dates are not included in the supplied report. Hyperallergic’s review provides the available critical account, but no further event, artist talk or related program is identified in the material.
Any new gallery information, statements from Luger, or additional reporting on the works could clarify the exhibition’s schedule and the artist’s own framing. For now, the confirmed development is the show’s presentation at the gallery and Hyperallergic’s review of its engagement with bison slaughter and American expansion.
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Key Questions
What is “American Traditional”?
It is an exhibition by Cannupa Hanska Luger at Garth Greenan Gallery in New York. Hyperallergic’s review describes sculptures made with materials including ironstone clay, sumi ink and wood, alongside archival references.
What history does the exhibition address?
According to Hyperallergic’s Hrag Vartanian, the works evoke the slaughter of bison by European settlers during westward expansion. The review connects that history to the animals’ significance to many Native American communities.
What does the review say is different about this show?
Vartanian describes the exhibition as more declarative than Luger’s participatory, ceramics-heavy projects, with a synthesis of wood, ink and archival material.
When can visitors see the exhibition?
The supplied report does not give opening or closing dates. Check Garth Greenan Gallery’s current listing for visiting hours and schedule information.
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