In his latest body of work, on view until 22 July at Jessica Silverman in San Francisco, the American artist Jeffrey Gibson explores the collage medium through the lens of his Cherokee and Choctaw heritage.
The works on paper incorporate found objects and imagery, beadwork and textile that have been assembled into intricate arrangements, and interrogate themes of empowerment, consumption, and non-Western modes of relating to each other – issues that have persisted throughout Gibson’s multidisciplinary and multifaceted practice.
Using offcuts, paper scraps, handmade Native American objects like watch bands and belt buckles, and imagery that he has collected and stored for decades, Gibson relates these forgotten materials to the fractured history of Native peoples.
‘Jeffrey Gibson: ONCE MORE WITH FEELING’, installation view at Jessica Silverman in San Francisco
For PRAYING FOR TIME (pictured top), whose title is borrowed from a George Michael song, Gibson subverts the work of Elbridge Ayer Burbank, a 19th-century American artist who made portraits of more than 1,200 Native people, often dressed in garments not of their own tribe or culture. Setting Burbank’s portraits of White Swan and Christian Naiche against vibrant beadwork and patterning, Gibson critiques Burbank’s depiction of Native Americans as a dying race at the time, in a powerful political statement against erasure.
‘Jeffrey Gibson: ONCE MORE WITH FEELING’ runs until 22 July at Jessica Silverman in San Francisco, jessicasilvermangallery.com
A version of this article appears in the August 2023 issue of Wallpaper* – a guide to creative America – available in print from 6 July, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
Jeffrey Gibson, HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE, 2023. Cold press watercolor paper, studio ephemera, archival pigment prints on cotton, acrylic paint, vintage beaded belt buckle, vintage beaded panel, vintage pinback button, glass beads, nylon thread and muslin
Jeffrey Gibson, ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, 2023. Cold press watercolor paper, studio ephemera, book clippings, early watercolors from artist's archive, acrylic paint, vintage beaded wrist watch, vintage beaded belt buckle, vintage hair clip, glass beads, nylon thread and muslin
-
Finland has been named the happiest country in the world, again – here’s what to do in this Nordic utopiaIf you want a taste of life in a country deemed the happiest in the world for eight years running, be sure to check out Wallpaper* editors’ favourite spots while you’re there
-
At Bar Etoile, Scandi-chic meets leisurely Los AngelesThis new Melrose Park joint mixes art-world references, French bistro vibes and an out-of-this-world martini
-
These fringed Prada slippers capture a lived-in elegancePart of Prada’s S/S 2025 menswear collection, these fringed slip-on mules reflect a wider renaissance of the slipper – suggesting the ultimate luxury is to wear your inside attire outdoors
-
In ‘The Last Showgirl’, nostalgia is a drug like any otherGia Coppola takes us to Las Vegas after the party has ended in new film starring Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl
-
‘American Photography’: centuries-spanning show reveals timely truthsAt the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Europe’s first major survey of American photography reveals the contradictions and complexities that have long defined this world superpower
-
Sundance Film Festival 2025: The films we can't wait to watchSundance Film Festival, which runs 23 January - 2 February, has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. These are the ones to watch from this year’s premieres
-
What is RedNote? Inside the social media app drawing American users ahead of the US TikTok banDownloads of the Chinese-owned platform have spiked as US users look for an alternative to TikTok, which faces a ban on national security grounds. What is Rednote, and what are the implications of its ascent?
-
Architecture and the new world: The Brutalist reframes the American dreamBrady Corbet’s third feature film, The Brutalist, demonstrates how violence is a building block for ideology
-
‘Gas Tank City’, a new monograph by Andrew Holmes, is a photorealist eye on the American West‘Gas Tank City’ chronicles the artist’s journey across truck-stop America, creating meticulous drawings of fleeting moments
-
Intimacy, violence and the uncanny: Joanna Piotrowska in PhiladelphiaArtist and photographer Joanna Piotrowska stages surreal scenes at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania
-
First look: Sphere’s new exterior artwork draws on a need for human connectionWallpaper* talks to Tom Hingston about his latest large-scale project – designing for the Exosphere
