Special Exhibition
Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me
May 10 - Sep 28, 2025
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Overview

The Broad presents Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me, a special exhibition of the artist’s multidimensional work, adapted from its original presentation at the U.S. Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024, where Jeffrey Gibson was the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo exhibition. Gibson’s first single-artist museum exhibition in Southern California, The Broad’s presentation includes over thirty artworks joyously affirming the artist’s radically inclusive vision. The exhibition will highlight Gibson’s distinct use of geometric design and saturated color alongside references to 19th and 20th century foundational American documents and modern music, critiquing systemic injustices and imagining a more equitable future. The show will be on view in the museum’s first-floor galleries from May 10 through September 28, 2025. 

Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me borrows its title from the Oglala Lakota poet Layli Long Soldier’s poem “Ȟe Sápa,” which contemplates Indigeneity using a playful geometric format. Like Long Soldier, Gibson probes the visceral feeling of belonging. Across ten paintings, seven sculptures, eight flags, three murals, and one video installation, Gibson honors the multiplicity of identity. Museum galleries will morph into kaleidoscopic environments of Gibson’s paintings. 

The Broad has acquired Gibson’s 2024 painting THE RETURNED MALE STUDENT FAR TOO FREQUENTLY GOES BACK TO THE RESERVATION AND FALLS INTO THE OLD CUSTOM OF LETTING HIS HAIR GROW LONG, which was first presented at the Venice Biennale. Incorporating his signature use of patterned text, radiating color, and glass beads, the painting directly quotes a letter written in 1902 by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to a school superintendent in Central California, urging Native school children to cut their hair and assimilate into white Eurocentric modes of dress and appearance. The painting transforms historical oppression into both an opposition to tyranny and a celebration of cultural identity.

photo of multi colored artwork by Jeffrey Gibson

Gibson’s practice celebrates individuals and communities who have maintained their dignity and traditions in impossible circumstances. His work reflects his admiration and respect for the generations of Indigenous makers who have come before him, situating his work within art histories that have previously excluded Native artists, and in the footsteps of postwar painters and printmakers such as Corita Kent, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and Andy Warhol. Gibson uses recognizable language and images and unsettles the beliefs that might typically be associated with them. 

Gibson will collaborate with The Broad on a dynamic slate of programming. The relationship between art and community is central to Gibson’s practice. These performances, talks, and workshops will create spaces for recognition and response, inviting audiences to engage more deeply with his work. Details will be announced in the coming months. 

Installation shot of Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me at the 60th Venice Biennale, 2024. Photo by Jeffrey Schenck  
Exhibition title © Layli Long Soldier, Whereas (2017), courtesy of Graywolf Press. 

Jeffrey Gibson, THE RETURNED MALE STUDENT FAR TOO FREQUENTLY GOES BACK TO THE RESERVATION AND FALLS INTO THE OLD CUSTOM OF LETTING HIS HAIR GROW LONG, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, glass beads, plastic beads, inset in a custom wood frame. The Broad Museum, Los Angeles. Courtesy of Jeffrey Gibson Studio. Photo by Max Yawney


Artist Bio

Born in Colorado in 1972, interdisciplinary artist Jeffrey Gibson is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent. Gibson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1995 and his Master of Arts in painting from the Royal College of Art, London, in 1998. Throughout his career, Gibson has centered Indigenous and LGBTQ+ perspectives, exploring cultural authenticity, stereotypes of Native people, and how aesthetics circulate amongst different groups. Vibrant colors, geometric patterns and found objects are common throughout his art, resulting in a distinct visual language that celebrates interconnectedness and assemblage. 


Credits

Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me was first presented by Portland Art Museum, Oregon, and SITE Santa Fe, New Mexico at the United States Pavilion of La Biennale di Venezia, the 60th International Art Exhibition (April 20, 2024 through November 24, 2024); commissioned by Louis Grachos, Phillips Executive Director, SITE Santa Fe; commissioned and curated by Kathleen Ash-Milby, Curator of Native American Art, Portland Art Museum and Abigail Winograd, Independent Curator. The Broad’s presentation is organized by Sarah Loyer, Curator and Exhibitions Manager, with the participation of Abigail Winograd.

In Venice, the space in which to place me was made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and was supported by the following philanthropic partners: presenting support by Ford Foundation and Mellon Foundation; Leadership support by MacArthur Foundation; Major support by Agnes Gund, Arison Arts Foundation, Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, The Hearthland Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Sotheby's, Terra Foundation for American Art; Generous support by Anonymous, Becky and David Gochman, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, Lisa Domenico Brooke, The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Sakana Foundation, The Schmidt Family Foundation, The Teiger Foundation; Educational partners and program support by Institute of American Indian Arts, Bard College, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian; Essential support by A&L Berg Foundation, David Bolger, Deborah Beckmann and Jacob Kotzubei, Dior, Elysabeth Kleinhans, The George Economou Collection, Laura Donnelley, Margaret Morgan and Wesley Phoa, Nicolas Berggruen Charitable Trust, Pamela and David Hornik, Pat and Leona Green, Regina L. Aldisert, Roberts Projects, Sasha and Edward P. Bass, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., Stephen Friedman Gallery, Trellis Art Fund; Sustaining support by Creative Capital Foundation, East West Bank, The James Howell Foundation, PDX Contemporary Art, Vera R. Campbell Foundation, VIA Art Fund; Additional support by Chet Architecture, Ed Cauduro Fund of Oregon Community Foundation, The Fleischner Family Charitable Foundation, Fotene and Tom Cote, Gibert Guaring and Daniel Tobin, Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, The Muriel Pollia Foundation; Sponsors include Anonymous, Delbert Thompson, Dr. Daniel S. Berger, Judith Fried, Lauren Tank, Linda Howe, Lizbeth and George Krupp, Marshall Price, Nancy Gill, Shirley Ash, Tizziana Baldenebro and David Novgorodsky, UBS.


Press Highlights

The Art Newspaper

"His exhibition . . . celebrates the survival of marginalized folks in the face of injustice or violence, with historical quotes embedded in dazzling artworks and used as their titles. Now he is bringing that sense of visual abundance to a broader US audience, including more Native Americans, he hopes."

by Jori Finkel

Hyperallergic

"Opening at the Broad in May, the exhibition will include dozens of works featuring the artist’s telltale colorful geometric patterning and stylized text."

by Rhea Nayyar