Dream weaving: Jeffrey Gibson fuses traditional folklore with contemporary art
It’s not often that contemporary Native American art gets a significant showing in the art scene. New York City’s Marc Straus gallery, located in the Lower East Side, is currently staging ‘New Work by Native American Artist Jeffrey Gibson’, which casts its folkloric traditions in a modern light.
Half Choctaw, half Cherokee and born to parents who grew up on reservations, Jeffrey Gibson spent his childhood years on army bases from Fort Bragg to Seoul, Korea. But after obtaining a Masters degree from the Royal College of Art and spending a stint in Santa Fe, Gibson began to turn out a distinctive oeuvre of sculpture, painting and more, that merges traditional Native American craft traditions with contemporary art - social and political commentary included.
On view are 15 examples that draw on Gibson’s ancestry. From beaded wall hangings which reference Navaho blankets to a bevy of deer hides emblazoned with his paintings, the works go beyond just being simply decorative. For example, with regards to the beaded quilt wall hanging ‘American History’, the artist says, ‘it represents a historical garment, but speaks of my ancestry while finding identity and freedom.’
A series of intricately beaded punching bags refer to the cathartic nature of the sport. ‘The turquoise beaded Sharecropper encapsulates the poverty of my grandparents,’ relates Gibson. ‘Their plight, struggle and endurance is not to be forgotten,’ he adds.
Gibson’s quixotic works can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the National Gallery of Canada and the Smithsonian, but he recently garnered further creds in the haute museum world in yet another way. In a gallery panel held this over the weekend, Glenn Adamson, Museum of Arts and Design director said, ‘Jeffrey’s new work confirms his ability to marry the tradition of craft created by a marginal culture with a dynamic sense of exchange of ideas.’
INFORMATION
‘New Work by Native American Artist Jeffrey Gibson’ runs until 13 December
Photography: Courtesy of Marc Straus Gallery
ADDRESS
Marc Straus Gallery
299 Grand Street
New York
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Riva El-Iseo is the legendary boat builder’s first fully-electric motor yacht
The Riva El-Iseo electric speedboat blends classic Italian lines with a silent, powerful and zero-emission powertrain
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Technogym Home Bench 40 ways: designers interpret the home exercise classic
Technogym marks its 40 anniversary with 40 special editions of its Home Bench created in collaboration with international creatives
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
AHEC presents new works in American maple as part of the Wallpaper* Class of ’24
The American Hardwood Export Council takes part in the Wallpaper* Class of ’24 exhibition at Triennale Milano during Salone del Mobile (16-21 April 2024), presenting new pieces by Parti and Giles Tettey Nartey in American hard maple
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
The Met’s ‘The Real Thing: Unpacking Product Photography’ dissects the avant-garde in early advertising
A new exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York explores the role of product photography and advertising in shaping the visual language of modernism
By Zoe Whitfield Published
-
Tony Notarberardino’s Chelsea Hotel Portraits preserve a slice of bygone New York life
‘Tony Notarberardino: Chelsea Hotel Portraits, 1994-2010’, on show at New York’s ACA Galleries, is the photographer’s ode to the storied hotel he calls home and its eclectic clientele
By Hannah Silver Published
-
‘LA Gun Club’: artist Jane Hilton on who’s shooting who
‘LA Gun Club’, an exhibition by Jane Hilton at New York’s Palo Gallery, explores American gun culture through a study of targets and shooters
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Detroit Institute of Arts celebrates Black cinema
‘Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971’ at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) brings lost or forgotten films, filmmakers and performers to a contemporary audience
By Anne Soward Published
-
BLUM marks 30 years of Japanese contemporary art in America
BLUM will take ‘Thirty Years: Written with a Splash of Blood’ to its New York space in September 2024, continuing its celebration of Japanese contemporary art in America
By Timothy Anscombe-Bell Published
-
Todd Gray’s sculptural photography collages defy dimension, linearity and narrative
In Todd Gray’s New York exhibition, he revisits his 40-year archive, fragmented into elaborated frames that open doors for new readings
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Frieze LA 2024 guide: the art, gossip and buzz
Our Frieze LA 2024 guide includes everything you need to know and see in and around the fair
By Renée Reizman Published
-
New York artist Christopher Astley showcases an alternative natural world
At Martos Gallery in New York, Christopher Astley’s paintings evoke an alternative natural world and the chaos of warfare (until 16 March 2024)
By Tianna Williams Published