Jeffrey Gibson Follows Up Venice Biennale With Exhibition Of New Work At Mass MoCA
Jeffrey Gibson (b. 1972) follows up his highly acclaimed exhibition representing the United States at the Venice Biennale –the Olympics of contemporary art–with another exuberant celebration of color, music, and video. Taking full advantage of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art's cavernous signature exhibition hall–as long as a football field, 55-feet wide, 25-feet high–Gibson debuted "'RE DIFFERENT" on November 3, 2024. Still Jeffery Gibson–the garments, the color, the thumping drumbeat, pow-wow meets nightclub vibes, joy as resistance–but all new.
Not a sequel. An expansion. Bigger. Going further.
"We as a museum, we push artists to do something that they couldn't do anywhere else," exhibition organizer and MASS MoCA Chief Curator Denise Markonish told Forbes.com. "(Jeffrey) kept saying, 'Every time I thought of Mass MoCA, I thought, this isn't an exhibition. It's not an exhibition. I can't think of it that way, because then I'll think of it as individual artworks and how they connect.' He was like, 'I have to think of this as one whole experience.'"
The experience includes seven newly constructed oversized garments–classic Jeffrey Gibson, yet larger and more outrageous than any he's produced before–adorned with beads and found materials, organized in kaleidoscopic patterns and suspended from the ceiling on tipi poles or worn during performances. These works are informed by the regalia worn in faith-based ceremonies, among them the Ghost Dance , a pacifist movement originating with the Northern Paiute, culminating in the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre, which remains active today, paying homage to the past while signaling hope for the future. Gibson is a citizen of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and half Cherokee.
A mirrored, multi-colored wall bisects the gallery space, end-to-end and floor-to-ceiling, reflecting videos and other works in the galleries creating a kaleidoscopic vision for visitors. The wall was purpose built for this show.
Seven,12x12-foot fused glass performance stages with graphic geometric designs further amplify the experience. Each of the oversized garments are suspended from the ceiling above its corresponding dance floor, and these stages will be the site of performances unfolding throughout the 18-month exhibition.
"He knew he wanted to involve other Indigenous creatives in the show, so for this project, we have about three dozen people who, in one way or another, have or will contribute to the exhibition," Markonish said. "For Jeffrey, building community is a key part of his practice... realizing you get to a certain point in your career when you're like, 'Oh, I can actually open up myself and my practice to let other people in, to provide a platform for other people.'"
Receiving American art's highest honor, the platform of representing the nation at the Venice Biennale–the first solo Native American so distinguished–gives Gibson power. Using that power to bring other Native creators along–lifting as he climbs–reveals all anyone needs to know about the artist.
Two-Spirit"'RE DIFFERENT" also offers an exploration into the term "two-spirit," a third gender which is both, and neither, male or female and embraced by many Indigenous individuals and communities to encompass gender and spiritual identity. The exhibition includes the 1992 documentary "Two Spirit People" by Michel Beauchemin, Lori Levy, and Gretchen Vogel, which features Indigenous two-spirit individuals discussing the term and their identities as creatives on the streets of the Bay Area.
A new video installation, suspended from the ceiling, accompanies the documentary harnessing both contemporary and early drag culture contributing to a club-like atmosphere in the first half of the gallery. Titled "Your Spirit Whispers in My Ear" (2024), the collection of videos are edited by Sancia Miala Shiba Nash with a soundtrack by Patrick Coll. Material for the videos is crowd-sourced from more than 20 Indigenous two-spirit individuals, DJs, drag performers, academics, and activists.
Gibson began planning for the presentation with Markonish in 2017. He was fascinated at the time with Lee Bowery, a legendary London-based drag performer and performance artist during the scene's heyday in the late 80s. Bowery staged a memorable performance before a street-facing two-way mirror in 1988 at the Anthony Gallery in London.
"Bowery was inside and brought all of these elaborate costumes, and was trying them on and preening, but of course, from inside, what he was looking at was a mirror reflecting him, but everybody out on the street could see him," Markonish explains. "Jeffrey was really interested in this idea of, who do you perform for? Are you doing it for yourself? Are you doing it with the knowledge of other people. What does it mean to be seen, but not see? All of those things he was thinking of in relationship to his own self, as a queer Indigenous person."
Bowery's performance inspired "'RE DIFFERENT" most prominently in the mirrored back wall of the entrance room and a new two-channel video showing Gibson wearing all seven oversized garments commissioned for the exhibition, almost unaware of the camera, yet still conscious of being seen.
Gibson has been to the mountaintop in Venice, at MASS MoCA, he shows he can climb even higher.
Make A Weekend Of ItMASS MoCA's location in the bucolic Berkshires of western Massachusetts makes it the perfect focal point for a long weekend of exploring art along rural, two-lane roads.
As the largest contemporary art museum in North America–300,000 square feet–plan on spending a couple hours at MASS MoCA in North Adams. The campus occupies a former factory site and also houses a bookstore/record shop, restaurant, performing arts venue, and artist studios. Three eye-bending floors of Sol Lewitt's impossibly intricate wall drawings represent the museum's crown jewel. A warehouse full of Anselm Keifer further boggles the mind.
In North Adams, start with a muffin or quiche for breakfast at too-small-for-a-website Bailey's bakery a block from the museum (55 Main Street). It's across from Hotel Downstreet , the city's largest. Even if you don't stay overnight, check out the property's first-floor gallery displaying hundreds of action figures.
Six miles west of North Adams, the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown focuses on French Impressionism with one of the finest collections of Renoir paintings in America–stout holdings of Monet and Degas as well, including one of the latter's Little Dancer Aged Fourteen sculptures. If the weather's good, spend time on the walking trails outside.
Also in Williamstown, stretch your legs strolling the campus of tiny Williams College straight from rural, private, New England, liberal arts college central casting. The Williams College Museum of Art is free and well worth a stop. Pop into Roam , a contemporary African art gallery. Enjoy lunch at The Barn Kitchen + Bar . Try the crusty, crunchy, buttery, grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup–$12 will fill you up.
Halfway between "downtown" North Adams and Williamstown, Trail House Kitchen serves New England comfort food, chowders, seafood, and a giant puff-pastry-encased chicken pot pie.
Art in the Berkshires is defined by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge where a world-class special exhibition program is featured in addition to artworks from the famed "The Saturday Evening Post" illustrator. The permanent collection features iconic paintings including his Four Freedoms series (1943) and The Problem We All Live With (1963).
One mile from the Rockwell museum, the Daniel Chester French home is much less ballyhooed, but no less impressive. French was the sculptor behind the Lincoln Memorial. Sadly, the home is closed during the winter.
In Stockbridge, a visit to The Red Lion Inn feels compulsory. If you have any trouble finding it, just follow the crowds.
Thirteen miles north of Stockbridge, back toward North Adams and near Herman Melville's Arrowhead, the Hancock Shaker Village regularly gives over its buildings and grounds to contemporary artists . The pigs and cows and chickens are always there. Winter hours are limited, however, so check its website in advance of visiting.
Five miles east of Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Hot Plate Brewing Co.'s chamomile blonde ale and jalapeno pale ale are worth a try. The convivial brewery hosts a full calendar of community get-togethers.
Stop in at Common Table in Cheshire for the everything bagel butter if nothing else, right on Route 8 between Stockbridge and North Adams.
A three hour drive from Boston or New York, the nearest major airport for anyone visiting the Berkshires from across the country is Albany, NY.
