Jeffrey Gibson

The US-American artist Jeffrey Gibson transforms the entrance hall of the Chipperfield Building with a monumental, colour-rich installation that is expected to remain on view until the end of 2026. Painting, sculpture, screen printing, beadwork, ceramics and textiles merge into an immersive total work of art – open to performative activations.

Following his celebrated solo exhibition in the U.S. Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024 and ahead of the unveiling of a new façade work at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in September 2025, Gibson is now realizing his first project in a museum on the European continent: a site-specific work conceived especially for the Haefner Foyer, titled «boshullichi / inlʋchi – we will continue to change».

The title combines two words from the Choctaw language, both meaning “change”: «Boshullichi» means to break something apart, to dismantle and transform it. «Inlʋchi» means to make something different, to restore and rebuild it anew.

Jeffrey Gibson combines Indigenous traditions from North America with elements of modern and contemporary art in his work. 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 Art historical references also play a role: his works evoke figures such as Kazimir Malevich, Anni Albers, Corita Kent, or the Indigenous artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith. Gibson demonstrates how diverse and powerful contemporary Indigenous art can be – far from clichés and narrow categories.

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