The Afterimage of John Wayne and the Shape of Masculinity in the Landscape

abstract:In this article I consider how my performance work The Afterimage of John Wayne (2020) creates a framework drawn from Conceptual Art methodologies to critique and reconsider gendered masculinity and representations of the landscape in the Western genre of cinema. The legacies of Conceptual Art practice that emerged in the 1960s produced creative modes that enabled new ways to engage with contemporary culture across multiple disciplines. An example of these modes was the "Instructional Statement," which forms the basis for The Afterimage of John Wayne. The Instructional Statement enabled performance to be understood as an art form that could both produce and critique culture. This article will consider how such performance art forms have the capacity to shift and loosen the mythologies that underpin the performance of masculinity within "The Western."