THE RAINBOW CONNECTION
Female Singapore|January - February 2024
INCLUSIVITY HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY HOT TOPIC IN THE ART WORLD, BUT FOR ACCLAIMED BROOKLYN-BASED ARTIST JEFFREY GIBSON, IT HAS DEFINED HIS WHOLE REPERTOIRE. AS A MEMBER OF THE MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS AND OF CHEROKEE DESCENT, HE INTEGRATES ELEMENTS OF NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE (ALONGSIDE INFLUENCES FROM MUSIC, FASHION, AND CLUB AND QUEER CULTURES) INTO HIS KALEIDOSCOPIC, CRAFT-INTENSIVE POP ART-INFLECTED WORKS THAT SPAN PAINTINGS TO SCULPTURES. COUPLED WITH A PROCLIVITY FOR COLLABORATIONS (BE IT WITH CRAFTSMEN, OTHER ARTISTS OR EVEN THE PUBLIC), HE AIMS NOT JUST FOR MINORITY EMPOWERMENT, BUT ALSO FOR ART TO HELP BUILD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY FOR ALL IDENTITIES. ON JAN 4, HIS LATEST PARTNERSHIP HITS TOWN: TWO RENDITIONS OF THE LADY DIOR BAG THAT ARE PART OF THE ANNUAL DIOR LADY ART INITIATIVE BY DIOR AND CARRIED AT THE BRAND'S ION ORCHARD BOUTIQUE. HERE, HE GIVES US AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON HOW HIS WORK AND BAGS - BRING TOGETHER MANY.
NOELLE LOH
THE RAINBOW CONNECTION

DESCRIBE YOUR ARTISTIC UNIVERSE IN JUST A FEW WORDS. “Colour, pattern, density – a mash‑up that opens up space for differences to coexist”

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME AN ARTIST?

“I’ve always been an artist since I was a young child. My parents always handed me crayons, and I drew pictures from my imagination and copied artworks that I saw in books.”

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR MOST EMBLEMATIC WORKS?

“Probably the adorned punching bags (started in 2011 as a way for Gibson to cope with the anger he felt from his encounters with homophobia and racism, this series features the gym accessory vibrantly made over with intricate beadwork and other embellishments laid out in traditional Native American textile patterns, as well as phrases of affirmation from pop culture). People relate to them in very personal ways that reflect their own personal narrative.”

WHAT VALUES DO YOU WANT TO EXPRESS AS AN ARTIST?

“Always radical inclusivity. This means that I want absolutely everybody to feel welcome to contribute respectfully towards establishing collectively meaningful ways forward for all people, and to encourage empathy, humanity and compassion. I look to the past and present for examples of ways in which people have done so, and there are incredible and brilliant people doing amazing things in the world that can help us to develop strategies for a better, more sustainable and equitable future.”

AS SOMEONE WHO’S ALSO INTO FASHION, WHAT DOES THE HOUSE OF DIOR REPRESENT TO YOU?

This story is from the January - February 2024 edition of Female Singapore.

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This story is from the January - February 2024 edition of Female Singapore.

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