JAQUE FRAGUA

- JAQUE FRAGUA -

Jemez Pueblo, 1986–

Jaque Fragua is a multidisciplinary Native American artist whose creative practice encompasses a diverse range of mediums, including studio painting, mural creation, sculpture, installation, and public art. He was raised in the last Towa-speaking community of Jemez Pueblo, where ancestral art forms like pottery, textiles, and petroglyphs profoundly influenced him. He later studied at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe (2005–2007). 

Across his varied body of work, Fragua tackles themes of Indigenous identity, cultural misappropriation, civil rights, colonialism, and environmental justice. His neon, canvas, and mural works—often infused with bold typography and brand-icon appropriation—serve as interventions challenging commercial landscapes and political erasure. In Los Angeles, his graffiti declaration “This Is Indian Land” and declarations like “Decolonize and chill” and “Sacred” have drawn acclaim for their raw social commentary. His murals in the Jemez area incorporate highway billboard activism and tribal symbolism.

Fragua’s work has been exhibited widely—solo and group shows include Gun Show (These Days LA, 2019), WOW POW (New Image Art Gallery, Los Angeles, 2016), Exploding Native Inevitable (Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Sheldon Museum of Art, 2024–25), and Ghost Writing, a major mid‑career retrospective at Plains Art Museum through March 2026. He’s also produced notable public works at SODO Track in Seattle and murals in Albuquerque, Joshua Tree, and L.A. under Shepard Fairey’s invitation. He has led workshops and public art projects, collaborating with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.