Jeffrey Gibson
Artist: Jeffrey Gibson
Stand Your Ground, 2019- Canvas, cotton, linen, polyester, nylon, vinyl, sequins, brass grommets, nylon thread, cotton thread, artificial sinew, glass beads, nylon fringe, grosgrain ribbon, copper jingles, wooden tipi poles, and deer hide.
When I first viewed this piece, I automatically thought of my partner’s mom home. I was thinking colonization, indigenous people, and how to tell my partner that his mom is racist. I felt guilty standing in a colonized space that was taken from Native tribes. The words “Stand Your Ground” carries huge significance to Indigenous people because it refers to stay strong in the midst of colonizers taking their land. The materials included in the piece are tributes to his personal and cultural significance, creating a symbolic and physical gesture to the sculpture. The choice of materials and the bright colors immediately caught my eye when I entered the room. I loved how unapologetic Gibson was with his piece, as he refused to oversimplify his personal identity. I would consider Whitewash from my abecedarian as a closest match to this piece, and a constant theme throughout the museum. Our history continues to run over narratives of Indigenous people and silencing their voices by praising Columbus for “finding” America, but never mentioning the huge genocide on Native communities.
