From the collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation and curator Ryan Hardesty is an exploration of color and heritage.
“Jeffrey Gibson: They Teach Love” delves into a variety of disciplines that combine to show the artist’s experience as a Native American, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a voice against oppression.
Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibition comes after his appearance at the “Olympics of the art world,” the Venice Biennale, becoming the first Indigenous artist to represent the U.S.
Gibson’s work combines modern aesthetics with his Mississippi Choctaw and Cherokee heritage to produce something that urges viewers to look deeply and think critically.
Rainbows, neon colors and bright gradients teeter on the cusp of overwhelming the senses but never do, creating instead a feeling of excitement and awe.
The punching bag displayed at the entrance of the exhibition titled “ALL I EVER WANTED ALL I EVER NEEDED,” combines extensive beadwork and colored tassels that references Depeche Mode’s song: “Enjoy the Silence”.
Many of Gibson’s work seek to combine punk rock, club culture and powwows through his use of vibrant color and classic Indigenous aesthetic.
Originally commissioned by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, the installation, “To Name An Other,” in which 51 handmade elk-hide drums with screen printed text are displayed opposite 50 wearable garments, are to be experienced simultaneously.
A video is played in the exhibition of Black, people of color, LGBTQ+ and Indigenous people donning the garments and drums in a performance. Phrases such as, “THEY TEACH LOVE” and “SHE TEARS DOWN WALLS” are screen printed on the drums and stated by the performers to allow for power to be returned to the oppressed.
Gibson works to present something new and empowering from the narrative imposed on Native Americans. “STAND YOUR GROUND” again uses bright and powerful colors to argue against the deconstruction of sacred lands.
Among the various fabrics are the words, “Tribes File Suit to Protect Bears Ears”, a reference to the alliance of Native Nations against the potential development of fossil fuels.
Gibson’s work excels in combining layers to create a message embracing individuality and love.
Photo Credit: Daylan Johnson
Photo Credit: Daylan Johnson
Photo Credit: Daylan Johnson
“SHE KNOWS OTHER WORLDS” and “THEY PLAY ENDLESSLY” were a collaboration with the New York quilt artist Robert Bemis. The quilts presented in this exhibition are a collage of imagery and text fragments that represent the legacy objects pass in both their families and communities.
The art presented in this exhibition is not only one of protest but of embracing culture.
A reception of “Jeffrey Gibson: They Teach Love” in partnership with Atlanta Art Week will be on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 8:00pm, at the Zuckerman Museum of Art.
INTERCHANGE will be presented along with an artist lecture from Jeffrey Gibson and collector Jordan Schnitzer. It is available for all of KSU to attend on Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:00pm, at the ZMA.
For more information and to RSVP for events, please visit the “Events” under the Zuckerman Museum of Art website.
