Ishi Glinsky: Upon a Jagged Maze
I first encountered Ishi Glinsky’s monumental soft sculpture Coral vs. King Snake Jacket (2019) in March 2021 at the Chris Sharp Gallery in Los Angeles after completing a road trip from Minnesota to California. Upon entering the gallery, I was completely amazed by the work’s size, scale, attention to detail, but most importantly, the tapestry of stories that were woven into the jacket in the form of oversized patches referencing a mix of Indigenous movements, punk rock/noise bands and the artist’s own biography. These stories, like the work itself, are a testament to Native American survival and speak volumes about Indigenous resilience and resourcefulness. What also struck me was the punk, DIY attitude the jacket embodied in its form and materiality.
It is rare for me to be awestruck by a work of art, but Ishi’s Coral vs. King Snake Jacket affected me so much that I immediately requested a studio visit with the artist. Following my initial meeting with Ishi and seeing his range of painting, sculpture and works on paper at the studio, my curatorial mind began racing to see if an institutional purchase or exhibition might be possible. Fast forward to September 2021 after I formally accepted the Director position at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum, and one of my first calls was to Chris Sharp and Ishi inquiring if they might be interested in collaborating with me on Ishi’s first solo museum show at UC Santa Barbara. This sparked a frenzied year of exhibition prep and research aided by Kendall Lovely, curatorial research fellow, while simultaneously bringing myself up to speed on the needs of the museum, its staff and the UC Santa Barbara campus more broadly.
As a curator, sometimes you happen to be at the right place at the right time for an artist or artwork to find their way into your life. Thanks to Ishi’s generosity and sustained practice, that initial encounter grew into something much larger than any one individual or a single artwork.
— Gabriel Ritter, director, Art, Design & Architecture Museum
Cover Image: Ishi Glinsky, Coral vs King Snake Jacket, 2019, canvas, industrial adhesives, wax, wood beads, aluminum, steel, nylon, enamel paint, black pigment. Photographed by Debra Herrick
