Jeffrey Gibson to Represent US at the 2024 Venice Biennale

Congratulations to our friend and a cherished artist in our collection, Jeffrey Gibson!

Jeffrey will represent the United States at the 2024 Venice Biennale, marking a historic moment. A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians with Cherokee ancestral roots, Gibson will be the first Indigenous artist to have a solo exhibition for the US pavilion at the international contemporary art exhibition. Running since 1895, the show attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the eastern edge of the Italian city each year. Raised in the US, Korea, and Germany and based in New York, Gibson draws inspiration from an array of sources including pop culture and music, literature, his familial heritage, and his international upbringing. In works such as People Like Us, one of his sculptural garments that are suspended from the ceiling using tipi poles, Gibson weaves a multilayered exploration of culture, history, and identity, incorporating traditional Indigenous beading, weaving, and metalwork techniques with contemporary aesthetics. For the US Pavilion, a three-room Neoclassical building owned by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation that houses the US representation in Venice’s Giardini della Biennale, Gibson will construct interior and exterior installations that feature a mix of new and recent paintings, sculptures, and multimedia works. He will also create a site-specific installation for the pavilion’s courtyard. Next year’s US exhibition will also feature an educational element that will involve bringing students from the Institute of American Indian Arts for a summer arts program. Additionally, there will be a fall program that brings together students, scholars, and the public.

The 60th edition of the Venice Biennale will run from April 20, 2024 to November 24, 2024.