Next week, Nashville’s Frist Art Museum will host its annual gala. Unlike other local events of this caliber, anyone can purchase a ticket and attend. Whether or not you don your black-tie finest on Saturday, April 15, 2023, museum visitors can (and should) experience the centerpiece of the gala, Jeffrey Gibson: The Body Electric. This larger-than-life, multi-sensory exhibition is on until April 23, 2023, so you still have plenty of time to check it out! We spoke to Jeffrey Gibson about this collection and how it has come to life — intricately and powerfully — at The Frist.
Jeffrey Gibson is of Cherokee heritage and a Mississippi Band of Choctaw member. His dynamic, vibrant work is represented in more than twenty permanent collections nationwide and inspires discussion on Indigenous empowerment, queer visibility, and environmental sustainability. Image: Brian Barlow
What can visits expect from The Body Electric experience?
This show is really different for me. This exhibition has more video and performance than my previous collections. Brandee Caoba [who originally curated the collection for SITE Santa Fe] was drawn to a piece called “A Warm Darkness” that kicked off sound, video, music, and performance as anchors of the exhibition. Those things contextualize the other objects, sculptures, and installations.
For instance, you will hear sound throughout the entire space. You can be looking at a painting and still hear the music or sound from the videos. This show includes some of my favorite past works and some real breakthrough pieces for me. There’s a ton of color and textiles.
The Body Electric presents paintings, sculptures, video performance pieces, installations, and a giant site-specific mural (behind the woman here) that reads, “The Land is Speaking | Are You Listening? Image: John Schweikert
Some of the aforementioned breakthrough pieces are these twelve feet tall geometric gradient cubes made entirely of fringe. Image: John Schweikert
How is the Frist Art Museum showcasing this collection of multimedia works?
The Frist has this site-specific kind of space. Every time you turn a corner, there is an incredible sightline of an artwork framed by the doorways and entrances to the space. And it works well. It doesn’t feel sprawling. It feels like you’re walking through chapters in a book. And it’s chronological in that it ends with some of my more recent works. It initially felt boxy, but it doesn’t complicate the works. Many museums only let you see one work at a time. But in my work, I think about ideas overlapping so much. Even if it’s a different medium, it’s building off the ones before it.
Jeffrey’s video “She Never Dances Alone” features jingle dress dancer and Indigenous artist Sarah Ortegon. “It was commissioned specifically to be seen over 60 or 70 giant monitors in Times Square,” Jeffery says. “It really wakes you up. The song playing is “Sister” by The Halluci Nation, and you can also see my portrait of Sarah Ortegon in the collection.” Image: Courtesy of SITE Santa Fe | Shayla Blatchford
Can you tell us the concept and history of the birds?
The birds are like samplers in a weird way. The bird itself has a history with Tuscarora beadwork that came out of the Northeast at the turn of the century. And that has been with me for a long time. Making a bird took me 20 years because it felt like such a cliché image. But sometimes, you show an artwork, and it resonates with people. It took me this long to trust that an image of a bird could do that. So, it becomes a celebration of the handcraft integral to Native communities. I also get a lot of innovation out of it.
The same thing happens in my paintings. We have as many colors as I can think of, but to make it feel somewhat organized and speak to the histories of painting and indigenous and native painting is important to me. Eventually, artworks take their form. They become their own subjects. And text helps with that a lot too. The text doesn’t come in until almost 80% or 90% [of the way] through the artwork, but it’s always meant to give an entryway into what I am presenting.
Not looking to recreate things made in the past, Jeffrey will ask his team, “How do we push the same 17 colors of beads that we’ve worked with for years now? Where can I push that further? How can I make color activate even more?” Image: John Schweikert
Part of the power of this exhibition is how much the eye takes in at once. Mural, painting, and sculpture collide. Image: John Schweikert
Text shows up in a lot of Jeffrey Gibson’s art. This beaded punching bag reads, “War is Not the Answer | Feel Something Real.” “If we talk about those words together, we have to acknowledge what’s going on in the world right now,” Jeffrey adds. “We have to talk about violence and different iterations of what war means — even what reality means.” Image: John Schweikert
StyleBlueprint has a large readership across the southern United States. Can you speak about the sense of place in your art and career?
My extended families are in Mississippi and Oklahoma. My mom and dad live close to me here in Hudson Valley, and my sister lives in North Carolina. I’ve grown up living in all different sorts of places. Being celebratory about this mix of cultures and different histories is rooted in how I see the world because I learned that as a child. I grew up in Germany and Korea and lived in the UK for a long time, and those have only ever been positive experiences for me. I could see how things influenced and translated into American culture — whether it was food or music or fashion or art, or architecture. To me, that’s been what’s exciting to look at.
On the surface, Jeffrey is approachable, and his work is playful. But he asks some powerful questions about cultural norms and assumptions. Image: Frist Art Museum
I also embrace that that notion of place changes. And, rather than missing what is changed, I have this thing in my brain that allows me to be excited about what comes next. I’ve always been a big fan of the art world decentralizing. Such incredibly talented, poetic art-making comes out of the South. And American culture hasn’t really embraced it. We still refer to it as “regional” or “self-taught.” We’re obsessed with it as long as we call it “self-taught.” But I grew up with those things. I grew up with baskets and jewelry made by my family and sewing and quilts. To me, those things are very rich. They’ve always stayed with me, even if I’ve lived on the East Coast in New York City.
Thank you immensely for chatting, Jeffrey! For complete information about the exhibit works, head to fristartmuseum.org. For more on the artist, visit jeffreygibson.net.
Don’t Miss Frist Gala on Saturday, April 15, 2023!
“Frist Gala attendees can expect to experience an evening of colorful celebration and artistic expression. From decor to dinner, Jeffrey Gibson: The Body Electric inspires all aspects of this year’s gala,” the event organizers told us. “The vibrant colors and contrasts of the artworks that fill the galleries have been a significant source of inspiration for the event.”
The gala is a lively chance for guests to enjoy artful hors d’oeuvres and a spring-inspired menu — all in support of Frist Art Museum’s mission. Image: Peyton Hoge
“Large animal sculptures in neon hues will adorn the tables throughout the Grand Lobby to highlight the importance of the natural world in Gibson’s work. Neon tube lights and dramatic pink up lights will create an immersive experience, and the dinner tables will be draped in bright pink linens and flowers,” the team continues. And to top off the night — literally — his piece, “Know You’re Magick Baby,” will be referenced in the tent ceiling. “We hope everyone will feel the ‘magic’ of this special evening!”
For more information about the gala or to request tickets, click here!
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