Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) Born 1992 in Santa Fe, New Mexico is an artist, painter, writer and film director with a passion for telling stories that inspire personal and community action to be the change you want to see in the world. Storytelling 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 gained recognition in the Southwest art scene with several solo exhibitions and group shows during 2018-2020 and with several collectors commissioning his work during the tumultuous year of Covid.
Littlebird says this about his painting, “My work is inspired by teachings, prophecies and stories that are common among Earthly rooted people. I delve into the inner workings of what makes up thoughts, choices and actions of humankind, past, present and future. Experiences that interest me are encounters with miracles and mass exchanges of energy that can be represented in a field of pace and color. For example, what would a genocide look like with a vibrant composition of primary colors? How could the death of an eternal being be represented as sacred and placed on a pedestal, martyred and sainted by the artist.”
He is a Sundance Institute Full Circle Fellow, Andy Warhol Foundation recipient and Assistant Director of Hamaatsa: an indigenous learning center non-profit.
SHOWS & PROJECTS
“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