“Representing the US and Critiquing It in a Psychedelic Rainbow”: Jeffrey Gibson Profiled by the New York Times

Jeffrey Gibson, artist in residence at Bard College, was once advised to tone down his work: to make it less colorful, less bold. “We’ve been dismissed as garish and too much, because of our use of color,” Gibson told the New York Times. Now, Gibson will be the first Native artist to represent the United States in the Venice Biennale with a solo exhibition—his embrace of color having propelled him to this stage. In a profile of Gibson for the Times, Jillian Steinhauer traced Gibson’s history as an artist, his preparation for the Biennale, and his relationship to the US. “I have a complicated relationship with the United States,” he said. His project for the Biennale “aims to interweave a Native American narrative with other histories of struggle and freedom,” borrowing its title from a poem by Bard alumna Layli Long Soldier MFA ’13. “‘The space in which to place me’ seemed like this idea of both decentralizing things and making things central that are oftentimes on the periphery,” Gibson said. The 2024 Venice Biennale runs April 20 through November 24, 2024.

Post Date: 04-16-2024