B. 1983

Demian DinéYazhi' was born in Gallup, New Mexico, on Diné Bikéyah (Navajo Nation) to the clans Naasht'ézhí Tábąąhá (Zuni Clan Water’s Edge) and Tódích'íí'nii (Bitter Water). DinéYazhi' earned a BFA from Pacific Northwest College of Art and is the founder of R.I.S.E.: Radical Indigenous Survivance & Empowerment, an artists’ and activists’ initiative dedicated to the education about, dissemination of, and evolution of indigenous art and culture. DinéYazhi'’s wide-ranging art practices incorporate site-specific and installation pieces, poetic expression, social engagement, and curatorial inquiry in works that honor traditional Diné practices, ceremonies, and land relations while challenging dominant narratives of race, authenticity, and gender.

The recipient of a 2015 Art Matters Foundation grant, a 2016 Potlatch Fund grant, and the Henry Art Gallery’s 2017 Brink Award, DinéYazhi'’s work has been featured at the Henry Art Gallery (Seattle), Pioneer Works (Brooklyn, New York), and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York City). DinéYazhi' is coeditor of the zine Locusts: A Post-Queer Nation Zine and lives in Portland, Oregon.