Jeffrey Gibson. The Anthropophagic Effect

Jeffrey Gibson. The Anthropophagic Effect
13.02.2019 - 09.06.2019

In the exhibition and residency The Anthropophagic Effect, presented as part of the Department of Education and Public Engagement’s Winter/Spring R&D Season: INHERITANCE, Jeffrey Gibson (b. 1972, Colorado Springs, CO) explores the material histories and futures of several Indigenous handcraft techniques and aesthetics. For this exhibition, Gibson has produced a new series of garments and helmets employing techniques learned over the course of the residency, including Southeastern river cane basket weaving, Algonquian birch bark biting, and porcupine quillwork—crafts practiced by many tribes across this land long before European settlers arrived. These works will be activated over the course of the exhibition with performances and staged photo shoots in the Fifth Floor Gallery. Alongside this new body of work, Gibson has selected a group of Cherokee and Choctaw objects and garments from his family’s collection, situating his own works within a wider lineage.

The exhibition’s title, The Anthropophagic Effect, alludes to Oswald de Andrade’s legendary 1928 Manifesto Antropófago (Anthropophagic Manifesto), which argued that Indigenous communities could “devour” colonizers’ culture in order to reject domination and radically transform Western culture to their own ends. The season’s theme, INHERITANCE, points to Andrade’s powerful proposition while more broadly alluding to the transmission of knowledge, skills, and capital.

Alongside this exhibition in the Fifth Floor Resource Center, Samples & Citations presents some of Gibson’s manifold influences, showcasing samples of works by contemporary and historical Indigenous musicians, visual artists, curators, and writers. This presentation includes archival materials from the American Indian Community House Gallery, a historic community center and exhibition space—which mounted Gibson’s first solo exhibition in New York City—alongside a diverse reading library with publications exploring Indigenous art and culture from the 20th century to the present.

The exhibition is curated by Johanna Burton, Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Engagement, and Sara O’Keeffe, Associate Curator, with Kate Wiener, Curatorial Assistant. The Resource Center presentation Samples & Citations is organized by Jeffrey Gibson and Kate Wiener.