Jeffrey Gibson, the space in which to place me, The Broad, Los Angeles, California
By Liz Goldner
Artistic marvels in a variety of kaleidoscopic colors are displayed in Jeffrey Gibson's exhibition, the space in which to place me. The title is from the Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier's poem, "Ȟe Sápa," which contemplates Indigeneity.
The more than 30 murals, flags, paintings, birds, sculptural pieces, busts, and other shapes in this show reflect a variety of influences. These include traditional Native art, modernism, popular culture, dancing, pow wows, music, and Gibson's personal philosophy of interconnectedness. Lyrics from songs by Tracy Chapman, Mahalia Jackson, Roberta Flack, and Nina Simone are interwoven into the text in this work.
Jeffrey Gibson, Image by Brian Barlow, Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio
The pieces in the exhibition are fashioned from glass beads, plastic bone beads, amethyst, acrylic felt, rose quartz, metallic sequins, nylon thread, grosgrain ribbon, tin jingles, metal bells, acrylic paint, found objects, and more.
Many artworks, emblazoned with statements reflecting Indigenous philosophies, are painted in block shapes reminiscent of Indigenous graphic representations. Statements include: "THE GREAT SPIRIT IS IN ALL THINGS," "WE WILL BE KNOWN FOREVER BY THE TRACKS WE LEAVE," and "IF YOU WANT TO LIFT YOURSELF UP LIFT UP SOMEBODY ELSE." Gibson, born in Colorado in 1972, is a self-described queer artist and a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, as well as of Cherokee descent.
To fully appreciate this exhibition is to embrace the artist's explorations of his creative instincts, authenticity, resilience, and joy, and of his positive view of Native perspectives when our long-held stereotypes about them are stripped away. Most pieces in this show were created in 2024 for its previous showing at the U.S. Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale, where Gibson was the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo show. (The Broad's presentation is organized by Sarah Loyer, Curator.)
BIRDS FLYING HIGH YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL, 2024, Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio
Near the exhibition entrance, the 30-foot-wide mural, Birds Flying High You Know How I Feel, the title taken from lyrics by Nina Simone in 1965, is an anthem for freedom and justice during the Civil Rights era. The piece presents a multitude of synchronized abstract avian shapes in vibrant colors with a glowing sun in the background. The effect is of unrestrained freedom and joy, qualities that Gibson has pursued since his impoverished childhood amidst racism in our country's south.
Mirroring the mural's message are two multi-colored bird sculptures, titled "we are the witnesses" and "if there is no struggle there is no progress," each meticulously fashioned from beads, sequins, acrylic felt, and more. The pieces' messages and complex constructions reveal an artist transcending the limits that society tries to place on him. Other framed pieces, echoing the colors and shapes of Birds, contain beads and found objects.
(L) The Enforcer, 2024, Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio, Photo by: Max Yawney (R) WE WANT TO BE FREE, 2024, Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio, Photo by: Max Yawney
Nearby, the seven-foot-tall The Enforcer and the nine-foot-tall We Want to be Free are human-shaped sculptures with bird-like heads and block-shaped lettered messages on their chests. These elegant pieces differ from most others in the show with their endless nylon fringes and grosgrain ribbons flowing from their sculptural bodies, embracing the ground. The sculptures recall the welcoming females from Gibson's childhood—women who, no matter what was happening in the environment, were always there for him.
(L)Treat Me Right , (R) Be Some Body
Two wildly attractive busts in the show, Treat Me Right and Be Some Body, on steel plates with marble bases, approximate the shapes and characteristics of females with shoulders, breasts, and flowing and twisted yarn suggesting hair.
THE RETURNED MALE STUDENT FAR TOO FREQUENTLY GOES BACK TO THE RESERVATION AND FALLS INTO THE OLD CUSTOM OF LETTING HIS HAIR GROW LONG, 2024, Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio, Photo by: Max Yawney
The nine-foot-long bronze 1900s sculpture, The Dying Indian of a slumped over Native American by Charles Cary Rumsey, borrowed from the Brooklyn Museum, fills up an entire gallery. Added to the Indian's feet are finely crafted buckskin moccasins, titled with the Roberta Flack lyrics, "I'm going to run with every minute I can borrow." (2019). They were commissioned by Gibson and created by John Little Sun Murie(Pawnee/Cree, born in 1975). While "The Dying Indian" is about "that history of envisioning the demise of indigenous people," according to Gibson, the addition of the moccasins brings the piece into the artist's realm of joy, resilience, and interconnectedness.
Through vibrant colors, intriguing abstract and geometric shapes, and the use of both common and jewel-like materials, the artist has created an exhibition that uplifts all of us.
This exhibit continues through September 28, 2025.
