Eric-Paul Riege facts for kids

Eric-Paul Riege is a talented artist from Gallup, New Mexico. He is part of the Diné (Navajo) people. Born in 1994, Eric-Paul creates amazing art using fibers, like yarn and fabric. He also does special "performance art." His art often celebrates his family's history and Diné traditions. He sees his work as a way to connect with his past, present, and future. Eric-Paul lives and works in his hometown of Gallup.

Eric-Paul's Early Life

Eric-Paul Riege grew up in Gallup, New Mexico. His mother is Diné, and his father is Anglo (from Ohio). His great-grandmother was a big inspiration for him. She was a weaver and an activist from Arizona. She faced challenges because of a government program in the 1930s. Eric-Paul learned how to sew from his mother. His father worked as a hotel manager and was in the Air Force.

The Navajo Times newspaper explains Eric-Paul's Diné family lines. He is from the Naaneesht'ézhi Táchii'nii clan. This means "The Charcoal Streak Division of Red Running into the Water People." He was born for the Béésh bichʼahii clan, which means "Metal Hat People-German."

Learning and Art School

Eric-Paul went to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. In 2017, he earned a special degree called a BFA. This degree was in studio art and ecology. He also studied the Navajo language and how it works.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Eric-Paul Riege's art has been shown in many places.

• He showed his work at the SITElines 2018 Biennial in SITE Santa Fe. They even asked him to create a brand new piece of art.
• His art has also been displayed at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, AZ.
• You could also see his work at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, NM.
• His art was part of the Prospect New Orleans Biennial and the Toronto Biennial in Canada.

Solo Shows

In 2019, Eric-Paul had his own museum show at the ICA Miami. It was called Hólǫ́—it xistz, which means "to exist." This show included sculptures made from weaving. It also featured clothes that could be worn as art. Plus, there were long performances that lasted for hours. The names of his artworks and shows often use words from different languages. This shows his interest in language.

jaatłoh4Ye'iitsoh [3-4] (2020) at the National Gallery of Art in 2023

In 2020, the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ, asked him to create a piece. He made jaatłoh4Ye'iitsoh no. 1-6 for their show called Larger than Memory: Contemporary Art From Indigenous North America.

In 2021, the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum had a special art piece and performance by Eric-Paul. He created it as a response to a large sculpture by Jeffrey Gibson. Eric-Paul's performance used the Diné/Navajo word Woshdee'! This word means "come in." He said it was an invitation to anyone, whether a friend or a stranger. This honored the title of Gibson's sculpture.

Later in 2021, he had another solo show at the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis. It was titled (my god, YE'ii [1-2]) (jaatłoh4Ye'iitsoh [1–6]) (a loom between Me+U, dah 'iistł'ǫ́) "earring for the big god". He was also part of a group show called Make-Shift-Future in Los Angeles.

Also in 2021, Eric-Paul performed at the Montclair Art Museum. This was part of an exhibition about Navajo textiles. His work was also featured in a big project called STTLMNT: An Indigenous Digital World Wide Occupation. This project was about Indigenous Peoples taking up digital space.

For the 2022 Toronto Biennial of Art, he showed an art piece called a home for Her. It included weavings and looms. He worked with the women weavers in his family to create it. Eric-Paul also presented Hólǫ́llUllUHIbI [duet] at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. These are large sculptures that hang from the ceiling. They remind him of "totems of memory" and look like fancy jewelry or trees swaying in the wind. He says his performances teach him how weaving is like the human body.

Performance Art Explained

Eric-Paul describes his performances as "durational." This means they can last for many hours. During these performances, he uses his body as a fiber. He interacts with looms, special clothing, and his art installations.

Awards and Recognition

In 2019, Eric-Paul received a special award called a fellowship from the Art Matters Foundation. In 2021, he got a New Work Project Grant from the Harpo Foundation. This helped him create an installation for Prospect New Orleans.

Art in Collections

Eric-Paul Riege's art is part of the permanent collections of several museums. This means they own his art and display it for people to see.

• Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
• Denver Art Museum
• Tia Collection in Santa Fe
• Montclair Art Museum