Demian Dinéyazhi' facts for kids

Demian DinéYazhi' (born 1983) is a Native American artist and activist. They use their art and their voice to support Indigenous and LGBTQ+ people. Their artwork includes many different forms like photography, sculpture, writing, sound, video, and even art made with land or fabric.

DinéYazhi' started and led an artist-activist group called R.I.S.E.: Radical Indigenous Survivance & Empowerment. They also help edit a magazine (called a zine) for LGBTQ+ and Indigenous Two-Spirit people, titled Locusts: A Post-Queer Nation Zine. They have written poetry books that promote Indigenous and queer rights, such as Ancestral Memory and An Infected Sunset.

In 2017, DinéYazhi' won the Brink Award from the Henry Art Gallery. They live in Portland, Oregon. DinéYazhi' identifies as gender non-binary, which means they don't feel like only a boy or only a girl. They use the pronouns "they/them" when people talk about them.

Early Life and Influences

Demian DinéYazhi' was born in 1983 in Gallup, New Mexico. They are part of the Naasht'ézhí Tábąąhá (Zuni Clan Water's Edge) and Tódích'íí'nii (Bitter Water) clans of the Diné (Navajo) people. Growing up, they learned a lot about the traditions of their Diné clans and the culture of Native Americans in the Southwest.

Their traditional upbringing taught them about "the sacredness of land" and "the importance of intergenerational knowledge." This means they learned to respect the earth and value wisdom passed down through generations. These ideas greatly influenced their art and activism.

From a young age, DinéYazhi' loved reading and creating art. These interests became the foundation for their career. Later, after moving to Portland, Oregon, they learned more about different gender systems within their tribal community. This helped them feel more comfortable with their non-binary gender identity.

Standing Up for What's Right

Growing up, DinéYazhi' sometimes felt like they didn't fit in. They felt pressure to follow ideas from Western society, which they saw as unfair. Through their own experiences, they learned about the history of colonization and the difficult relationship between Native Americans and the American government.

These experiences led DinéYazhi' to explore ideas of 'Radical Indigenous Queer Feminism'. This way of thinking challenges unfair power structures and supports people from Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities, especially in the art world. This strong belief guided their activism.

R.I.S.E.: Radical Indigenous Survivance & Empowerment

In 2010, DinéYazhi' started R.I.S.E. (Radical Indigenous Survivance and Empowerment). This group is made up of Native American artist-activists. They created R.I.S.E. to respond to the challenges faced by Indigenous communities due to colonization.

The group works to share and celebrate traditional Native North American art and culture. R.I.S.E. is a platform for Indigenous artists to use different art forms. These include photos, paintings, clay, bead-work, dancing, and storytelling. They use these to promote Indigenous survival and human rights. Through R.I.S.E., DinéYazhi' has created art that directly criticizes colonization and the American system. One example is A Nation is a Massacre, which has been shown at Pioneer Works in Red Hook, New York.

On January 3, 2019, DinéYazhi' and R.I.S.E. opened an exhibition called R.I.S.E.: COLLECTIVE FURY. It was held at the Recess Art Gallery and Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The exhibition showed how strong feelings within the Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities can become power for unity and strength. It featured artworks, discussions, and workshops that shared the stories of various Indigenous communities. It also focused on themes like environmental fairness, feminism, and queer politics.

Locusts: A Post-Queer Nation Zine

DinéYazhi' is also a co-editor for Locusts: A Post-Queer Nation Zine with fellow Diné artist Kevin Holden. This zine highlights the stories of queer and trans people of color, as well as Indigenous Two-Spirit individuals. It uses visual art, writing, personal essays, and interviews.

Through the zine, DinéYazhi' and Holden work to make people of color within the LGBTQ+ community more visible. They bring attention to the challenges these communities face, especially the pressure to fit into Western societal ideas. The zine received the Precipice Fund from the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art in 2017.

Education

In 2014, DinéYazhi' earned their Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Intermedia Arts. They studied at the Pacific Northwest College of Arts.

Notable Artworks

Make Native America Great Again, 2016

In 2016, DinéYazhi' created Make Native America Great Again. They worked with Cumbersome Multiples and artists John Henry and Tracy Shclapp. This artwork uses letterpress printing on an old map of a Native American reservation. The map was originally made by the American government.

DinéYazhi' made this piece to respond to Donald Trump's presidential slogan, "Make America Great Again." The artwork criticizes conservative ideas and how some people view American history. Using the reservation map reminds viewers of how Indigenous lands were taken by settlers.

KA-HA-TENI KAY-YAH and KAY-YAH CAH-DA-KHI TA-GAID AH-CHANH, 2016

In 2016, DinéYazhi' worked with photographer Kali Spitzer on two pieces. These are KA-HA-TENI KAY-YAH, [Native (Native) Land (Land)] and KAY-YAH CAH-DA-KHI TA-GAID AH-CHANH [Land (Land) Wound (Wound) Without (Without) Self Defense (Protect)].

KA-HA-TENI KAY-YAH uses dirt from Diné Bikéyah, the land where DinéYazhi's maternal grandparents are from. The title comes from the Navajo Code Talker Dictionary. This is a nod to their maternal grandfather, who was a Navajo Code Talker in the U.S. Marine Corps.

KAY-YAH CAH-DA-KHI TA-GAID AH-CHANH uses mined coal, also from Diné Bikéyah. About 7.8 million tons of coal are taken from Diné land each year. This mining has harmed the environment and forced Native people to move from their homes.

These two artworks show DinéYazhi's thoughts on the difficult relationship between the government and Indigenous people. They advocate for environmental fairness and Indigenous sovereignty. They highlight the harmful effects when the government interferes with Native lands.

POZ Since 1492, 2016

In 2016, DinéYazhi' created POZ since 1492, also known as "The First Infection." This digital artwork changes a painting of the first Thanksgiving. They distorted the image and added the words "POZ SINCE 1492".

DinéYazhi' created this work to suggest a connection between the arrival of white settlers and the spread of certain health challenges in North America. They believe that instead of focusing on Indigenous groups, we should understand how colonization played a role in these issues globally.

A Nation is a Massacre, 2019

In 2019, DinéYazhi's A Nation is a Massacre was first shown at the Pioneer Works gallery in Red Hook, New York.

DinéYazhi' created this piece to speak out against violence and unfairness towards marginalized groups. According to David Everitt Howe, a curator at Pioneer Works, the artwork represents centuries of violence against queer and Indigenous people since colonization began.

We must stop imagining Apocalypse/Genocide + we must imagine liberation, 2024

In 2024, DinéYazhi's artwork, “We must stop imagining Apocalypse/Genocide + we must imagine liberation,” was shown at The Whitney Museum. It is a neon light sculpture on three metal stands. The first stand spells out part of the title: “We must stop imagining destruction + extraction deforestation + cages + torture + displacement + surveillance + genocide". The second stand spells out “We must stop predicting apocalypses + fascist governments +capitalistic + hierarchy." The last stand spells out “We must pursue + predict + imagine routes toward liberation.”

When viewed from outside the building, the lights flicker to slowly spell out "Free Palestine." DinéYazhi' explains that this work shows the failures of certain systems, like settler colonialism and unfair power structures. They believe that after events like the pandemic and recent conflicts, people understand how important it is to speak up about their lives.

Selected Exhibitions

Solo Exhibitions

• (2018) A Nation is a Massacre, Pioneer Works, Red Hook, New York, USA
• (2018) Demian DinéYazhi': The Brink, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington, USA
• (2019) R.I.S.E.: COLLECTIVE FURY, Recess, Brooklyn, New York, USA

Group Exhibitions

• (2016) Center for Contemporary Native Art, Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon, USA
• (2016) Frontier Imaginaries, Institute of Modern Art (IMA), Brisbane, Australia
• (2017) ICONOCLASTIC, Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Portland, Maine, USA
• (2017) Tomorrow Tomorrow, Canada, Lower Manhattan, New York, USA
• (2017) Unholding, Artists Space, Lower Manhattan, New York, USA
• (2018) Between the Waters, Whitney Museum of American Art, Greenwich Village, New York, USA
• (2019) Unraveling Collective Forms, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), Hollywood, California, USA
• (2019) Hedonist Buddhist, Washington Project of the Arts, Washington D.C., USA
• (2019) System Failure, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, California, USA
• (2019) I Come To This Place, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, New York, USA
• (2019) Solidarity Struggle Victory, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, California, USA
• (2020) Nirin: 22nd Biennale of Sydney, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Campbelltown, Australia

Collections

• Henry Art Gallery (Seattle, Washington)
• Pioneer Works (Brooklyn, New York)
• Whitney Museum of Art (Greenwich Village, New York)
• Portland Art Museum (Portland, Oregon)

Awards and Recognition

• Crow's Shadow 2017 Golden Spot Residency (2017)
• The Henry Art Gallery's Brink Award (2017)
• The Hallie Ford Fellow in the Visual Arts (2018)
• The Eiteljorg Contemporary Art Fellow (2019)

Henry Art Gallery's Brink Award

One important award DinéYazhi' received is the 2017 Brink Award from the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, Washington. This award is given to rising artists aged 35 and younger who work in the Cascadia region (Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia).

When they received the award, DinéYazhi' was given $12,500. They also got to have their own art show and one of their artworks was added to the museum's permanent collection. As part of the award, DinéYazhi' opened their exhibition called "The Brink" at the Henry Art Gallery. It was on display from April 14, 2018, to September 9, 2018.