Jeffrey Gibson has installed four large bronze animal sculptures—a deer, a coyote, a squirrel, and a hawk—on the facade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, collectively titled “The Animal That Therefore I Am.” At a talk with Met curator Jane Panetta, Gibson explained that the works draw on his early paintings on brain-tanned elk hides and his ongoing exploration of Indigenous kinship philosophies, which honor all living beings as extensions of ourselves. The sculptures, each adorned with ceremonial regalia inspired by Native American traditions, are designed to be viewed as four-sided paintings and connect the museum’s Central Park location to Gibson’s home in the Hudson River Valley.
This commission marks Gibson’s latest high-profile public project following his acclaimed US Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale and a major exhibition at MASS MoCA. By placing these animal figures on the Met’s iconic facade, Gibson brings Indigenous perspectives on animism and ecological interconnectedness into one of the world’s most visited museums, challenging viewers to reconsider humanity’s place in the natural hierarchy. The work also underscores the growing institutional recognition of contemporary Indigenous artists in mainstream art spaces.