Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map is an upcoming exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art that will showcase the groundbreaking work of Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation. This retrospective will be the first of its kind in New York, bringing together nearly five decades of Smith’s drawings, prints, paintings, and sculptures in the largest and most comprehensive showing of her career to date.
Smith’s work is unique in its engagement with contemporary modes of making, as she blends her own cultural practice with artistic traditions such as abstraction, American Pop art, and neo-expressionism. Her art tells stories that challenge commonly held conceptions of historical narratives and shed light on the absurdities in the formation of dominant culture. Through satire and humor, Smith’s approach importantly blurs categories and questions why certain visual languages attain recognition, historical privilege, and value.
One of the most striking features of Smith’s work is her use of mapping, history, and environmentalism, all of which she reappropriates and deploys to create a narrative that incorporates both personal and collective memories. By doing so, Smith brings to the forefront some of the most pressing dialogues around land, racism, and cultural preservation, issues that are at the forefront of contemporary life and art today.
The exhibition is organized by Laura Phipps, Assistant Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art, with Caitlin Chaisson, Curatorial Project Assistant. It will run from April 19 to August 13, 2023, with member previews from April 13 to 17. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map promises to be a significant retrospective that offers new frameworks for considering contemporary Native American art, particularly in terms of how Smith has led and initiated dialogues around some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Website: Whitney Museum
