Cannupa Hanska Luger, Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara/Lakota
Mirror Shields, 2016
Cannupa Hanska Luger's artwork effectively underscores the disproportionate response by government authorities to water protectors resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock in 2016. The mirror shields serve as a poignant symbol of how unarmed water protectors had no means of defense other than these reflective shields and their own identities. By presenting attacking police with their own reflections, the intention was to make them confront the disparities and hopefully ignite a sense of empathy, making them realize the brutality of their actions. Furthermore, this piece serves as a call to action directed at the mainstream media, which has largely overlooked this issue. It almost demands the viewer to consider, "What role do you play in this story?" It compels us to look inward and engage in self-reflection. Label by Jackson Smith
This drone photograph depicts the Mirror Shield Project, which artist Cannupa Hanska Luger created to support the Water Protectors at Standing Rock in 2016. Luger started this art project to spread awareness of the injustices occurring at Standing Rock and to encourage people nationwide to participate in the protesting of pipeline expansion. To engage with the public, Luger created an instructional video on how to build a mirror shield for water protectors. The mirror shield is meant to serve as a form of physical protection against oppressors seeking to harm the Water Protectors, but also to force the oppressors see themselves and the harm they are causing reflected back at them. Label by Bayleigh Albert
Link to the artist’s instructional video on how to build a mirror shield: https://vimeo.com/191394747