Exhibition

James Luna: Mission Daze (Remezca)

March 6 – June 1, 2027

Southern Exposure

An immersive installation that recreates James Luna’s legendary 1988 California Mission Daze with a new video documentary

A mixed-media artwork overlaying a black-and-white photograph onto a colorful vintage illustration. The background illustration depicts a Native American figure slumped on horseback against a dramatic sky with deep blues, oranges, and heavy clouds, evocative of the famous "The End of the Trail" imagery. Centered directly over this is a sharp rectangular cutout of a black-and-white photograph showing a man with long hair sitting dejectedly on a wooden bench, looking downward.

Southern Exposure

3030 20th StreetSan Francisco, CA 94110
Castro, Mission

Thursday–Saturday  12 p.m.–6 p.m.

Free

ADA Accessible

James Luna: Mission Daze (Remezca) revisits and reanimates Luna’s California Mission Daze (1988), an immersive installation that confronts the violent histories embedded within California’s mission system and the colonization of Indigenous peoples. The exhibition features reconstructed sculptural and video elements alongside newly fabricated components, as well as an extensive archival presentation of correspondence, photographs, and previously unseen materials, along with other key artworks from Luna’s career. It includes new interviews with Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Lewis deSoto, and Amalia Mesa-Bains, alongside a commissioned performance and video series from Bay Area Indigenous, Latinx, and Chicano artists activating Luna’s legacy.

James Luna (1950–2018), an artist and activist of Native American and Mexican heritage, worked across photography, performance, video, and installation to dismantle myths surrounding Indigenous cultures. His work has been presented at major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), LACMA (Los Angeles), IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (Santa Fe, NM), and the Venice Biennale (Italy).

Exhibiting Artists

James Luna

An installation view composed of a rectangular dirt plot on the floor containing wooden posts, crosses, a rusted metal gate, and barbed wire, resembling a graveyard or fenced enclosure. In the background, a white architectural structure resembling a small white mausoleum or house stands next to a walkway leading toward a darker section with an American flag. A string of multicolored triangular pennant flags hangs high across the white gallery walls connecting to the house.
Three black-and-white photographic portraits of the same man are arranged side-by-side against a plain, light background, evoking the clinical style of a mugshot or an ethnographic study. In the left panel, the man is shown in a sharp profile facing right, displaying his long, dark hair flowing down his back and a distinct hanging earring. The center panel captures him facing directly forward with a neutral expression, his long hair parted down the middle with one side draped over his shoulder and half of his mustache is completely shaved. The right panel shows him in profile facing left, with his hair appearing tucked back or shorter to highlight his facial structure and mustache. Across all three frames, he is dressed in a simple, dark, sleeveless tank top.

James Luna, California Mission Daze, 1988. Installation Gallery, San Diego, California. Courtesy of Garth Greenan Gallery and estate of James Luna

Exhibition Support

This exhibition was made possible thanks to The Andy Warhol Foundation and through the Further Triennial’s Community Impact Fund.

Support for the Community Impact Fund is generously provided by the Carla and David Crane Foundation.

Southern Exposure

Southern Exposure (SoEx) is an artist-centered nonprofit organization committed to supporting visual artists. Through our extensive and innovative programming, SoEx strives to experiment, collaborate, and further educate while providing a resource center and forum for Bay Area and national artists and youth.

Learn More

Things to Do Around Here

  • Sightglass Coffee, right next to Southern Exposure, is a perfect spot for a much-needed afternoon pick-me-up! They have amazing pastries, and I highly recommend the iced vanilla coffee—it’s seriously delicious!

    3014 20th St, San Francisco

    Julio Cesar Morales, Executive Director, Southern Exposure

  • You wouldn’t usually expect to see pasta on a Japanese restaurant’s menu, but trust me—the Mentaiko Spaghetti at Bon Nene will blow your mind! Creamy, savory, and completely addictive.

    2850 21st St, San Francisco

    Julio Cesar Morales, Executive Director, Southern Exposure

  • Aedan Koji Kitchen is this tiny little takeout spot that I almost hesitate to tell people about because it’s already a local favorite. Their bento boxes are incredible—packed with flavor and seriously one of the best gentle umami bombs around. It’s the kind of small, thoughtful place that makes a neighborhood special.

    613 York St, San Francisco

    Julio Cesar Morales, Executive Director, Southern Exposure

Loading map…