Land is never a gateway (Sightline / Lifeline)
2026 On view
Artist Nicholas Galanin
Curator Wanda Nanibush
Site Description
Accessibility: The artwork is located at the base of the Gateway Arch on the Great Rivers Greenway. Parking is not available along N. Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard. Parking is available in Laclede’s Landing or Chouteau’s Landing, or via metered street parking in downtown St. Louis.
Artwork Details
About the Artwork
Nicholas Galanin is a Lingít/Unangax̂ artist whose work centers relationships to Land. Land is never a gateway (Sightline / Lifeline) intervenes in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the colonial history it represents. From one exact viewpoint, the sculpture appears to stretch a large animal hide across the monument, turning it into a traditional hide-processing frame. From other angles, the Arch remains unchanged, separate from the sculpture and the Indigenous histories it overlooks. By asking viewers to find the alignment of Galanin’s work and the Arch, the work shows how perspective shapes understanding. It points to the persistence of Indigenous knowledge and our shared dependence on Land.
Courtesy of Peter Blum Gallery.
This commission is made possible with the support of the Walker Youngbird Foundation.