Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) Born 1992 in Santa Fe, New Mexico is an artist, painter, writer and film director. Expression through the medium of painting and film is a vital part of life for Jesse with his Indigenous heritage deeply rooted in the oral tradition culture of his Pueblo Indian lineage and growing up in a creative household of art, film and story.
Littlebird’s provocative paintings have garnished recognition in the Southwest art scene with several solo exhibitions and group shows during 2018-2023 and with several collectors commissioning his work nationally and globally.
Littlebird says this about his art,”My work is inspired by teachings, prophecies, and stories that are commonplace among my people. It presents the viewer with a unification of Southwestern landscapes, Indigenous Cosmologies, and their historicization.
My true allegiance lies solely in acknowledging the significance of my birth until my eventual passing.
My work is an Detournement of various elements from Western and Indigenous thought and histories, provoking critical reflection and serving as a testament to the enduring spirit of indigenous cultural realities.
The paintings serve as storytellers, capturing narratives that can be discovered by those who truly listen and engage with the artwork.
Each piece is a field for intricately intertwined symbolic representations that draw direct inspiration from the timeless cultural traditions found within the lands my people have inhabited since long before the Settler Colonial and will exist long after its passing.”
He is a Sundance Institute Full Circle Fellow, and Andy Warhol Foundation recipient. He works full time as an artist and resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
[ points in indian ] Fusion Theater, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2023
[ cries in indian] Lapis Room, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2023
“A Fragmented Exodus” Eaton DC, Washington D.C. 2022 (featured in the Washington Post)
[ a declaration of sanity] Lapis Room, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2022
“Monsoon Season” Zendo Coffee, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2022
“Neofiguration of Pueblo Revolt” installation, The Historic Kimo Theater, Albuquerque, New Mexico 2022
“Upward Mobility”, Secret Gallery, Albuquerque New Mexico 2021
“NeoCamino Real”, Revolt Gallery, Taos, New Mexico 2021
“Western Hyperreality”, Artaos, Denver Colorado 2021
“Under an Excess of Reality”, Nopal Gallery Albuquerque, New Mexico – 2020
“Coyote”, Up Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico – 2020
Nativo Lodge, Artist Room Project, Albuquerque, New Mexico – 2019
Sovereign Santa Fe, 48 hour curated Contemporary Native American Art Show, “Featured Artist”, Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico – 2019
Virgil Ortiz – Revolt Showroom, “Featured Artist” and Mural commission, Indian Market, Santa Fe, New Mexico – 2019
“Primitive Earthquake” show AC2 Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico – 2019
“Kukani (Red)”, Dialogue Brewing, Albuquerque, New Mexico – 2018