Jason Lujan’s second solo exhibition at MKG127, Reconstructing Something Already There is a reinterpretation of transcultural connections and global dialogue. Through a multidisciplinary approach that includes installation, design-based sculpture, and painting, Jason sidesteps labels of Native American identity to focus on transnational experiences and aesthetics; at its core, the exhibition addresses themes of hybridity and adaptation, encouraging viewers to question static notions of authenticity and cultural ownership.

The Medicine Seller sculpture represents a combination of a traveling merchant and a traveling mendicant; referring to an individual who moves from place to place, offering both medical assistance (in the form of herbal remedies, bodily care, or advice) and spiritual guidance or charity (like a religious itinerant). In this combination, the individual may be seen as a wanderer with dual purpose: to heal the body (through the medicine-selling aspect) and the soul (through the mendicant role). They embody the balance between physical and spiritual or cultural care, potentially offering both services. This person might be viewed as a humble figure who bridges the gap between the material and spiritual realms, seeking to provide both healing and spiritual growth to the communities they visit.

This person engages in a distinct role:

1. Medicine Seller: They carry various forms of medicine and safety devices, offering treatments to those in need. Their medical knowledge might range from traditional herbal remedies to basic first aid or even magical cures, depending on the cultural context. This role would involve not only the provision of physical healing but also possibly a reputation as someone with deep knowledge of health, prevention, and natural remedies.

2. Mendicant: At the same time, the individual also practices the role of a mendicant – someone who relies on the kindness of others while also offering intangible benefits like guidance, prayers, or a sense of moral or ethical advice.

The model wears the artist’s own clothes and material goods and rides a particular scooter model associated with food delivery workers in the downtown Toronto location of his art studio.

Jason Lujan is originally from Marfa, Texas. As an artist, he creates tools for understanding and interpreting the processes by which different cultures approach each other as a result of travel and communication and are later homogenized. Largely integrating visual components rooted in North America and Asia, the work focuses on the possibilities and limitations of the exchanging of ideas, meanings, and values, questioning the concepts of authorship and authenticity.