Buffalo Bone China

1997

“In Buffalo Bone China Claxton blends performance art, found objects and video to dissect the effects upon First Nations peoples due to policies from colonial Canadian and the United States regarding the state sanctioned extermination of the American bison. Bison were slaughtered and their bones crushed and exported to England to make bone china. In the performance Claxton smashes pieces of china and makes four bundles, placing the bundles in a sacred circle while a video of buffalo plays in the background. ‘Feeling the loss of the buffalo, the backbone of Plains spirituality and sustenance, the artist uses a rubber mallet to destroy plates and bowls. The breaking of the china refers to the use of buffalo bones in the making of bone china during the period of exploitation and decimation of the buffalo.’”

— From the Art History and Visual Arts department of the University of British Columbia