On Dana Claxton’s multimedia investigations of colonialism’s destructiveness and the resurgence of First Nation culture

Dana Claxton (born 1959) is a critically acclaimed, award-winning artist and filmmaker working across film, video, photography, single and multichannel video installation and performance art. Her practice investigates the body, the socio-political and the spiritual within realms of indigenous beauty.

This book consolidates our understanding of Dana Claxton’s dominant and recurring themes—indigenous history, culture, beauty and spirituality. While Claxton’s art often alludes to the destructive legacy of colonialism, it also celebrates the resurgence of First Nations’ presence and contemporary identity. What emerges is an artist delivering works of ever greater power and conviction. With her expansive and genre-defying practice—photography, videos, mixed-media installations, text works, performances and curatorial work—she continues to critically reimagine the space of the gallery to be accessible for wider Indigenous audiences and to uphold new understandings of beauty.