Shi ei Diné nishłį́. To'ahani' nishłį́, Dibe'łizhini bashishchiin, Kinyaa'áanii dashicheii doo Honágháahnii dashinalí. I am Diné (Navajo). These are my clans and my identity as Diné in translation to the English language. My identity is rooted into my practice from who i am, to what inspires me to express my personal history of self, through my art.
By using aspects of my life experience and combining this with the use of cultural methodologies, stories, songs, and our Diné cultural philosophies, I have established my practice to continually investigate the realms of translation from these aspects of myself and my identity. I have been able to pursue several bodies of work that make the correlation with this intent of furthering the representation and conversation of Indigneous identity within the realm of contemporary art.
Patrick Dean Hubbell
Modern West is honored to feature an Online Exclusive Exhibition by Patrick Dean Hubbell. As one the Nation’s fastest-rising artists, he has participated in over 25 exhibitions in the past 5 years. This solo exhibition showcases available mixed media artworks spanning multiple bodies of work, celebrating the past decade of his practice. These available artworks will be on view from December 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023.
In conjunction with his Online Exhibition, we are happy to announce Hubbell’s inclusion in the Kimball Art Center’s Exhibition Between Life and Land: Material, curated by Nancy Stoaks, on display from December 9 – April 9 2023. On loan from Modern West, You Balance All from the Earth to the Sky, 2021, Night Sky Protection, 2020, Day and Night, 2021, are a compelling addition to the first of this three-part exhibition series examining our relationship to land through the use of material. Patrick Dean Hubbell’s pattern-driven, atmospheric paintings reflect his exploration of materiality, spirituality, memory, landscape, oral tradition, and contemplation of identity in relation to ideas of contemporary Indigeneity. Hubbell’s works are composed of hand-gathered and ground natural earth pigments from the Navajo Nation, mixed with conventional acrylic and oil paints. He has applied those pigments across a variety of surface treatments, including traditional canvas painting formats, sculptural installations, and deconstructed canvas and stretcher bar works reminiscent of Navajo woven blankets. In Hubbell’s work, traditional Navajo art forms and symbols collide with expressive mark making and rich textures, creating a balance and harmony echoing the beauty, ruggedness, and deep roots of the American West.
Born and raised in the Navajo Nation, Hubbell grew up in a very small, rural town and was raised practicing Navajo traditions and cultural beliefs. He received a BFA in 2010 from Arizona State University and completed his MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Spring of 2021. Hubbell has been highlighted by Southwest Art’s list of “21 under 31,” and is a recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc. Grant Award, and the New Artist Society Award of SAIC. He has exhibited in multiple museums including; Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, SLC, UT; Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ; The Autry Museum of the West, Los Angeles; and Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY. Hubbell’s work was selected as the 2022 NADA Acquisition Gift to the Pérez Art Museum Miami and is featured in numerous private and public collections.
