Meet the Artists
Meet the three Native artists featured in the debut Wahani Puzzle collection. Kevin Pourier, Dyani White Hawk, and Cara Romero are all award-winning artists representing different experiences through their artwork. See more of their work on their websites below.
Kevin Pourier
Pourier works with buffalo horn, a material historically used by his Ancestors, to explore themes related to being a Lakota whose’ first name Pte Oyate kin means “The Buffalo People.” He and his wife, Valerie, work closely together to produce artwork at their home on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Living on the northern edge of the Badlands, they draw inspiration from their cultural traditions, the buffalo, and the peaceful landscape of the Northern Plains. Pourier’s work refutes the idea that contemporary Native art is only about recreating historical forms and imagery, and emphasizes that Native people today have meaningful stories to share.
Dyani White Hawk
Dyani White Hawk’s (Sičangu Lakota) work combines influences from abstract Lakota art forms and modern abstract easel painting. She draws from her life experiences as a Native and non-Native woman who has both practiced traditional beadwork since she was a teenager and has formal art training from academic institutions. White Hawk often incorporates glass seed beads utilizing a lane stitch technique frequently used within Lakota communities. At times she utilizes buckskin, porcupine quillwork, and other mediums common within Lakota art forms. White Hawk incorporates beadwork within painted canvases that reference practices of modern abstract easel painters, many of whom were influenced by Native American art.
Cara Romero
Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) is a contemporary fine art photographer making work at the intersection of Native identity and pop culture. Often staged and theatrical, her work explores the diversity and complexity of contemporary Indigenous experiences. Romero challenges the ways in which Native peoples’ images have been historically portrayed.