'An Indigenous Present' makes its only West Coast stop at the Frye, with works from elders to emerging makers spanning one hundred years. The exhibition features significant groupings of works by fifteen artists.
The artists use strategies of abstraction to represent personal and collective narratives, describe specific and imagined places, and build upon cultural and aesthetic traditions. The exhibition demonstrates the endless variability of abstraction and its capacity to hold multiple forms and histories.
'An Indigenous Present' is co-curated by artist Jeffrey Gibson, a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and of Cherokee descent, and independent curator Jenelle Porter. The exhibition emerges from their 2023 landmark publication of the same name.
The exhibition is organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, while the Frye Art Museum's presentation is organized by Georgia Erger, Curator, with Alexis L. Silva, Curatorial Assistant.
Teresa Baker's 'Knife River' (2024) uses yarn, buckskin, artificial sinew, and willow on AstroTurf. Kimowan Metchewais's 'Chief's Blanket' (2002) is made with ink and adhesive tape on paper. George Morrison's 'Three Surrealist Forms, Automatic' (1984) uses colored pencil, ink, and wash on paper. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith's 'Cree Prayer Series #1' (1978) is an acrylic-and-pastel work on paper.
