Jeffrey Gibson, U.S. Pavilion Artist, Joins Hauser & Wirth

Jeffrey Gibson b. 1972, United States Follow +

American artist Jeffrey Gibson, who became the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States in a solo presentation at the Venice Biennale this year, has joined mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth.

Next October, he will open his first exhibition with the gallery at Hauser & Wirth in Paris, who now co-represent the artist alongside his current gallery, Sikkema Jenkins & Co in New York.

‘We are thrilled to welcome Jeffrey Gibson to Hauser & Wirth and honoured to be entrusted by the artist to advocate for a vision and oeuvre we admire so deeply,’ said Marc Payot, President at Hauser & Wirth.

‘He uses his art to generate an ongoing critique of American culture that is simultaneously fierce and loving, forceful and radiant—and ultimately incredibly generous in the way it includes us all,’ Payot said.

The Colorado-born Cherokee artist is known for exuberant works that celebrate cultural diversity and intersectional identities. His current Venice Biennale presentation, the space in which to place me—spanning painting, sculpture, murals, video, and flags—remixes elements from the artist’s heritage with intricate beadwork, vintage pins, and found accessories, presenting a joyful reimagining of Indigenous aesthetics.

WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT (2024), for instance, is a punching bag bedazzled with coloured beads spelling out its title, with nylon threads forming a layered skirt at the bottom. Tied to the ceiling, the work appears to challenge limited portrayals of Indigenous cultures while suggesting alternative, non-violent pathways toward healing.

The son of a U.S. Department of Defense engineer, Gibson grew up living in cities throughout the U.S. and in Germany, South Korea, and the U.K., developing an interest in cultural translation and notions of difference.

He trained as a painter at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago followed by the Royal College of Art in London, later incorporating beadwork, leatherwork, and quilting into his practice.

‘His ideas and practice align with those of many artists in our programme, from Mike Kelley to Frank Bowling, from Isa Genzken to Sophie Taeuber-Arp, as well as other greats like Bridget Riley and Katerina Grosse, whose art he cites as touchstones,’ Payot said.

Hauser & Wirth will bring a new work by Gibson to Art Basel Paris (18–20 October 2024). Subsequently, the artist will open a solo exhibition at MASS MoCA in Massachusetts on 3 November, followed by a commission at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in September 2025. —[O]

Main image: Jeffrey Gibson, 2024. © Jeffrey Gibson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Inez and Vinoodh.