The Performative Portfolio of Tanya Lukin Linklater
A song, a felt structure: We are putting ourselves back together again
Tanya Lukin Linklater is a video and performance artist whose works combine elements of institutional critique and spatial awareness with discussions of sociopolitical issues, particularly issues concerning Indigenous peoples. The artist’s works are often collaborative, and work off of other performers, as well as gallery spaces and the objects therein.
We wear one another (open rehearsal, March 2019)
Even in the photographs and videos available on Tanya’s portfolio website, it’s easy to see how important space and backdrop are to the artist’s recent works. Though Tanya’s dance and performance choreography is arguably the focus of a given piece, it’s undeniable that each piece would be quite different were it to be performed in a different space. The imagery of pieces like We wear one another is striking, with the windows and architecture behind the dancers providing not only backdrop, but lighting and colour.
Many of the artist’s pieces are performed by a pair of dancers, furthering the idea that these dances are not only a performance, but a direct conversation, a collaboration between individuals sharing ideas.
