xtyfr
American History
"American History" (JB), 2015, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, wool, steel studs, glass beads, artificial sinew, metal jingles, acrylic yarn, nylon fringe, and canvas. Lent by the Lewis Family, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
The Seattle Art Museum hosted Jeffrey Gibson: Like a Hammer (February 28-May 12, 2019), a major survey of works from 2011 to the present that reflects the artist's deepening exploration of his Indigenous heritage, legacies of abstraction, and popular and alternative cultures. Organized by the Denver Art Museum, the exhibition featured over 65 works produced during a pivotal time in the Gibson's career, including abstract geometric paintings on rawhide and canvas, beaded punching bags, sculptures, wall hangings, and video. Reflecting the complexity of modern identity, Gibson's work envisions a more inclusive future.
Jeffrey Gibson (courtesy of the artist)
A contemporary artist of Cherokee heritage and a citizen of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Gibson grew up in the U.S. and urban centers in Europe and South Korea. As a young adult, he was involved in queer club culture and interested in popular music, fashion, and design. These experiences inform his vision of exuberant hybridity, in which glass beads, metal jingles, ribbons, song lyrics, and abstract geometric patterns come together. Gibson's use of materials and references that resonate in modern and contemporary Western art, as well as Indigenous and ancient cultures, establishes a unique visual vocabulary that gives rise to new possibilities and points of connection.
"You Can Feel It All Over"
"You Can Feel It All Over", 2015, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, repurposed punching bag, glass beads, artificial sinew, steel. From the Collection of Teresa and Lorenzo Fertitta, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
A highlight of the exhibition is 15 punching bags, most of which are from the Everlast series that marked an artistic breakthrough for Gibson. Intricately adorned in beads, fringe, and jingles, and often incorporating text, the punching bags shift gender associations between the masculine and the feminine. They also prompt reflection about the history of violence against Indigenous cultures and signal a call for resilience and perseverance. "Like a Hammer" also features "If I Ruled the World" (2018), which was recently acquired by the Seattle Art Museum for its permanent collection.
"Birds of a Feather"
"Birds of a Feather", 2017, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, glass beads, artificial sinew, wood, acrylic felt, druzy crystals, copper jingles, metal cones, nylon fringe, and steel. Lent by Beth Rudin DeWoody, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
Language plays an important role in Gibson's work, with lines from pop songs and other sources adorning vibrant woven and patterned wall hangings and punching bags. Taken from such diverse sources as James Baldwin, Pete Seeger, Culture Club, and Public Enemy, among others, the phrases take on multiple meanings and speak to resistance, reclamation, and celebration.
"Shield No. 15"
"Shield No. 15", 2014, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, elk hide over antique ironing board, acrylic paint, and graphite. Private collection, courtesy of Marc Straus Gallery, New York, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
Like a Hammer features many of Gibson's abstract geometric paintings on canvas and rawhide, in which he explores pattern, light, and color, prompting the viewer to see abstraction through the lens of Indigeneity. Also on view are midsize and large figurative sculptures. The colorful "club kid" figures are inspired by his experiences in the queer club scenes of South Korea, London, and New York in the 1980s and '90s and connect to his interest in performance, theatricality, and communal experiences. By contrast, his "ancestor" figures are draped with elaborately ornamented cloaks and topped with clay heads reminiscent of skulls or ancient Mississippian culture effigy heads. While visually fierce, these works are seen by the artist as teachers and culture-bearers.
"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
"Can't Take My Eyes Off of You", 2015, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, high fire glazed ceramic, repurposed tipi poles, wool, acrylic paint, wool blanket, glass beads, artificial sinew, copper jingles, and nylon fringe. Collection of Vicki and Kent Logan, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
One gallery is dedicated to the West Coast debut of "Don't Make Me Over", a multimedia installation consisting of cascades of diaphanous rainbow-colored curtains embedded with lyrics from Burt Bacharach's 1962 song about love and acceptance, made legendary by Dionne Warwick. The curtains encircle an oversized garment adorned with bells and jingles, and a nearby projection plays a video of Gibson wearing the garment, chanting and drumming as he moves within the enclosed curtained space. A series of irregularly shaped diptych paintings on rawhide complete this installation.
"Know Your Magic, Baby"
"Know Your Magic, Baby", 2016, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, repurposed punching bag, wool army blanket, tin jingles, glass beads, metal studs, artificial sinew, nylon fringe, and steel. Lent by Amanda Jane Precourt, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
At the end of the exhibition is a reading room, where visitors can reflect and read books -- including selections for children and young adults -- related to the topics explored in Gibson's work, such as history, politics, culture, and music.
"One Becomes the Other"
"One Becomes the Other", 2015, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, repurposed wool army blanket, repurposed punching bag, glass beads, plastic beads, steel studs, artificial sinew, quartz crystals, copper cones, nylon fringe, steel, and acrylic paint. Private collection, courtesy of Marc Straus Gallery, New York, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney.
"Jeffrey Gibson's art is fearless yet playful. His wide-ranging mind transforms myriad influences into provocative work that defies categorization," says Barbara Brotherton, Curator of Native American Art. "With Gibson, more is more," adds Catharina Manchanda, Jon & Mary Shirley Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art. "His work is visually and conceptually exhilarating, full of nuance and complexity. Be prepared for a mind-altering experience."
"Thinking of You"
"Thinking of You", 2015, Jeffrey Gibson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians/Cherokee, graphite and acrylic paint on rawhide over wood panel. Private collection, courtesy of Marc Straus Gallery, New York, image courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, photo: Peter Mauney
