Shanghai Dragon, 2008

In 'Shanghai Dragon', Louise Noguchi uses elements of photography and installation to explore “heroic” landscapes found within Hollywood action films – the places where heroes dwell and seek inspiration. Her work relates to cinematic spaces that seem uncannily familiar, because they already exist within our collective memory of popular culture. One source of inspiration has been western cowboy films, which often use the unusual land formations that occur within places such as Arizona for film sets. These otherworldly spaces are addressed in Noguchi’s recent work, which incorporates references from classic cult movies such as 'Enter the Dragon', 'Star Wars' and 'The Lady From Shanghai'.