Dezeen · Creativity & design

Galanin's Sculpture Challenges Gateway Arch Narrative

Artist Nicholas Galanin has installed a sculpture at the St. Louis Gateway Arch as part of the Counterpublic art festival, aiming to disrupt the monument's traditional symbolism.

The metal sculpture, titled "Land is Never a Gateway (Sightline/Lifeline)", is designed to resemble a stretched animal hide. When viewed from below, it creates an optical illusion, transforming the Gateway Arch into a frame for processing a hide.

Galanin, of Lingit and Unangax̂ descent, created the piece to challenge the narratives of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny, ideologies associated with the Arch's original purpose as a monument to the "Gateway to the West".

The sculpture's alignment with the Arch is intended to highlight how perspective influences which histories are visible and which are obscured. Galanin researched local histories, including Indigenous dispossession and racial capitalism, for the commission.

Processing animal hides is a traditional practice among many Indigenous peoples, involving stretching the hide on a frame, a step visually represented in Galanin's work.

Galanin's broader artistic practice often explores themes of adaptation, resilience, memory, and connection to the land.

The Counterpublic festival features commissioned works by local and global artists exploring St. Louis's history, present, and future. This year's theme is "Coyote Time".

Counterpublic runs from September 10 to December 12.

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