Art for all: Jeffrey Gibson

The American artist Jeffrey Gibson is presenting a monumental, color-intensive installation in the entrance hall of the Chipperfield Building, which is expected to be on display until the end of 2026. Painting, sculpture, screen printing, bead embroidery, ceramics and textiles combine to create an immersive work of art - open to performative activation.

Following his celebrated solo exhibition in the US pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 and ahead of the unveiling of a new façade painting at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in September 2025, Gibson is thus realizing his first project in a continental European museum: a site-specific work specially conceived for the Foyer Haefner entitled "boshullichi / inlʋchi - we will continue to change".

The title combines two words from the Choctaw language, both of which mean "change": "Boshullichi" means to break something into pieces, to break something down and change it. "Inlʋchi" means to make something different, to restore and rebuild something.

In his art, Jeffrey Gibson combines indigenous traditions from North America with elements of modern and contemporary art. He draws on techniques such as weaving, beadwork, ceramics and basketry - and combines them with geometric and gestural abstraction. Art historical references also play a role: his works are reminiscent of Kazimir Malevich, Anni Albers, Corita Kent and the indigenous artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, among others. Gibson thus shows how diverse and powerful indigenous contemporary art can be - far removed from clichés and narrow categories.

The presentation was made possible thanks to the generous support of a Zurich cultural foundation and patrons of the Gateway Fund.