Continuing with Venice… like most visitors of the Biennale, we started at the Giardini where many countries presented commissioned artworks in their respective national pavilions. And it was hard to miss the United States pavilion for its eye-catching technicolor exterior and red pedestals.
Enjoy this music while browsing… earlier posts about the Central Pavilion are here and here.
The exhibition which took over the entire pavilion is titled “the place in which to place me.” It was created by Jeffrey Gibson (1972- ), identifying as queer/gay, a native Indian of Mississippi Choctaw-Cherokee descent.
Due to the vivid, contrasting, bright cheerful colors in geometric shapes, it was refreshing while walking through the pavilion – a bit like drinking a tall glass of fresh-squezed orange juice. It was a celebration of hue, pattern and craft.
“The Obligation of Honor of a Powerful Nation”
Is this Pop Art, Op Art or …?
“If Not Now Then When”
New York-based Gibson employs an interdisciplinary approach and hybrid visual language “characterized by a bold use of color, pattern, and text that combines American, Indigenous, and Queer histories with references to popular subcultures, literature, and global aesthetic and artistic traditions.” – quoted.
Included in the pavilion are sculptures (beaded busts), works on paper, hand-painted murals, flags, videos and multimedia paintings.
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress”
Click on the image above to see a full-size version of the beaded bust. The title of each piece is presented on a badge worn on the bust.
“Give My Life … Something Extra”
Texts on paintings and punching bags include quotes from Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and George Washington, as well as amendments to the Constitution and equal rights laws.
In an interview, Gibson mentioned feeling a sense of ambivalence about representing a nation with a long history of making its Native peoples feel like foreigners on their own ancestral homelands (which is the theme of this Biennale – “Foreigners Everywhere”). He asked himself, ‘How is it that I can represent the United States, with all of its complicated and traumatic histories toward Native people?’
On the beaded punching bag, it is emblazoned “We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident” – from the US Declaration of Independence >>>
“We Are Made By History” ^^^
According to an article by the BBC, the title of the show comes from the poem “Ȟe Sápa” by renowned writer Layli Long Soldier (a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation), which speaks to the often limiting, externally imposed definitions of Indigeneity.
“If You Want to Lift Yourself Up Lift Up Someone Else”
His selection to represent the United States at the 60th Venice Biennale marks the first solo presentation of an Indigenous artist for the U.S. Pavilion. The exhibition is presented jointly by the Portland Art Museum and SITE Santa Fe.
“Whereas It Is Essential To Just Government We Recognize The Equality of All People Before The Law”
Unraveling the geometric letterforms woven into the pattern was a fun and engaging exercise—one that encouraged a slower, more thoughtful viewing. As the passage gradually emerged, its meaning had time to resonate, reminding us of the unfulfilled promises of equality in U.S. history, particularly toward Native Americans. Yet, the bold, vibrant colors infused the pavilion with a sense of hope and optimism.
We really enjoyed the exhibition.
More to come …
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