Dyani White Hawk, the acclaimed Native American artist who gained national attention as a standout participant in the 2022 Whitney Biennial, has secured representation with the prestigious New York-based Alexander Gray Associates gallery. This strategic partnership will complement her existing relationship with Minneapolis-based Bockley Gallery, which has represented the artist in her home state of Minnesota for several years.
White Hawk, who is of Sicangu Lakota, German, and Welsh ancestry, has built her artistic reputation through innovative beaded artworks that challenge conventional narratives about abstraction in art history. Her work emphasizes the significant but often overlooked role that Native American artists have played in developing abstract art forms, countering the widespread perception of abstraction as exclusively a Western phenomenon. Drawing inspiration from traditional Lakota abstraction techniques, she creates both paintings and intricate beadwork that celebrate the contributions of Native women, whose artistic labor has been historically minimized within the Western art canon.
Beyond her visual art practice, White Hawk has also created compelling photographic works featuring Native women, with the stated goal of encouraging viewers to confront and acknowledge their full humanity. Her commitment to Native American artistic representation extends beyond her own practice – she has worked as a curator and operated All My Relations Gallery in Minneapolis for four years, dedicating herself to showcasing Indigenous artists and their work.
Speaking about her broader mission, White Hawk explained in an email statement that advocating for the representation of Native artists and communities, as well as encouraging critical thinking about how national history and art history are taught, have been integral components of her artistic practice. This advocacy work has positioned her as not just an artist but also as an important voice in conversations about Indigenous representation in contemporary art.
Since her prominent inclusion in the 2022 Whitney Biennial, White Hawk's career has experienced remarkable growth and recognition. In 2023, she was featured in curator Candice Hopkins' highly praised exhibition "Indian Theater: Native Performance, Art, and Self-Determination since 1969" at the Bard College museum. The following year, her work appeared in a traveling exhibition showcasing pieces from the collection of Komal Shah and Gaurav Garg, collectors who regularly appear on ARTnews' prestigious Top 200 Collectors list.
Currently, visitors to the Whitney Museum in New York can view White Hawk's site-specific ceramic mosaic installation titled "Nourish," which demonstrates her versatility across different media and her ability to create works that respond to specific architectural spaces. Her growing prominence has been further validated through a series of high-profile awards, including a MacArthur "genius" fellowship in 2023 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2024 – two of the most prestigious honors available to artists and scholars in the United States.
Alexander Gray, the founder of Alexander Gray Associates, characterized the new representation arrangement as a collaborative effort rather than a simple business transaction. In a statement, he praised Bockley Gallery's authentic and rigorous commitment, noting that the Minneapolis gallery has served as a critical advocate for Indigenous artists' development and legacies since its founding in the 1980s. Gray described the partnership as an opportunity to expand White Hawk's platform and reach a broader audience.
Todd Bockley, founder of the Minneapolis gallery that has long championed White Hawk's work, expressed enthusiasm about the New York partnership. He revealed that his gallery had recognized the need for White Hawk to have representation in New York for years but had been waiting for the right relationship to emerge. Bockley praised Alexander Gray Associates' reputation as a serious, research-based, artist-centered, and ethics-driven gallery, expressing confidence that they would provide additional support and context for what he described as White Hawk's extraordinary artistic practice.
