NICHOLAS GALANIN

– NICHOLAS GALANIN –

Sitka, Tlingit, Unangax̂, 1979–

Nicholas Galanin (b. 1979) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work challenges the boundaries of contemporary art through a dynamic engagement with Indigenous identity, sovereignty, and cultural continuity. Born and based in Sitka, Alaska, Galanin comes from a long line of Tlingit artists and makers and was trained in both traditional and contemporary art practices. He studied silversmithing and carving under family mentorship before earning a BFA from London Guildhall University and an MFA from Massey University in New Zealand. Drawing on this diverse background, Galanin fluidly works across sculpture, installation, performance, sound, video, and textiles. His practice resists static definitions of “traditional” Native art, instead embracing hybridity, conceptual rigor, and sharp social critique to address systems of power, colonial erasure, and cultural appropriation.

Galanin’s work is rooted in place and ancestry, yet speaks to global themes of decolonization and resistance. Whether through public art, museum installations, or collaborative musical projects, his work insists on Indigenous presence—not as an echo of the past, but as a living, evolving force. He frequently uses his platform to confront institutions and structures that have historically marginalized Native voices, while simultaneously celebrating Indigenous knowledge, resilience, and futurity.

Galanin’s work has been exhibited internationally at major biennials and art institutions, and he is widely recognized as a leading voice in contemporary Indigenous art. His art is held in prominent public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Denver Art Museum; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Other notable collections include the Detroit Institute of Arts, Portland Art Museum, Peabody Essex Museum, Princeton University Art Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Anchorage Museum, the Alaska State Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, and the North American Native Museum in Zurich.