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Demian DinéYazhi´ (born 1983) is an Indigenous Diné transdisciplinary artist born to the clans Naasht’ézhí Tábąąhá (Zuni Clan Water’s Edge) and Tódích’íí’nii (Bitter Water). Growing up in the colonized border town of Gallup, New Mexico, the evolution of DinéYaz´’s work has been influenced by their ancestral ties to traditional Diné culture, ceremony, matrilineal upbringing, the sacredness of land, and the importance of intergenerational knowledge.
Through research, mining community archives, and social collaboration, DinéYazhi´ highlights the intersections of Radical Indigenous Queer Feminist identity and political ideology while challenging the white noise of contemporary art.
They have recently exhibited at Portland Biennial (2019), Honolulu Biennial (2019), Whitney Museum of American Art (2018), Henry Art Gallery (2018), Pioneer Works (2018), CANADA, NY (2017); and Cooley Art Gallery (2017). DinéYazhi´ is the founder of the Indigenous artist/activist initiative, R.I.S.E.: Radical Indigenous Survivance & Empowerment. They are the recipient of the Henry Art Museum’s Brink Award (2017), Hallie Ford Fellow in the Visual Arts (2018), and Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellow (2019). Follow on Instagram @heterogeneoushomosexual
[…] Demian DinéYazhi´ is presently putting together a performance in collaboration with indigenous artists that he calls an extractive performance. DinéYazhi´ is very interested in extracting things from bodies, communities, political ideologies, and so forth. For this project, DinéYazhi´ goes to places like thrift shops to see what objects he finds to get to know what this says about the community he’s in. He often sees evidence of deeply embedded racism toward brown and indigenous people. To hear more about this work and his other projects and activism, listen to the complete interview. […]
[…] Demian DinéYazhi´ is presently putting together a performance in collaboration with indigenous artists that he calls an extractive performance. DinéYazhi´ is very interested in extracting things from bodies, communities, political ideologies, and so forth. For this project, DinéYazhi´ goes to places like thrift shops to see what objects he finds to get to know what this says about the community he’s in. He often sees evidence of deeply embedded racism toward brown and indigenous people. To hear more about this work and his other projects and activism, listen to the complete interview. […]