Gregg Deal: Contemporary Indigenous Art and the Colonial Gaze

Join acclaimed Indigenous artist Gregg Deal, member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and founder/frontman of hardcore punk band Dead Pioneers, for a thought-provoking talk that examines how contemporary art both challenges and reflects the colonial gaze that has shaped Indigenous representation for centuries. Through insights on politics, culture, and creativity, he discusses how Native artists navigate expectation, identity, and the art market while expanding artistic boundaries and reclaiming their own stories. Drawing from his own lived experience as a Native person, Deal unapologetically confronts the uncomfortable truths of American society. 

Gregg Deal (Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe) is a bold voice within contemporary art; a multi-disciplinary artist, activist, and cultural disruptor who uses his platform to speak out on issues of Native identity, racial injustice, colonialism, and the erasure of Indigenous histories. Rooted in his lived experience as a Native person, Deal’s work unapologetically confronts the uncomfortable truths of American society, politics, and pop culture. Through a wide range of mediums, including painting, mural work, performance art, filmmaking, and spoken word, Deal challenges deeply embedded stereotypes and forces viewers to question false narratives about Indigenous peoples. His work is not only artistic expression but an act of resistance and reclamation, using visual language to confront historical amnesia and ongoing systems of oppression. In his widely viewed 2018 TED Talk, Deal described his artistic mission as “honoring Indigenous experiences, challenging stereotypes, and pushing for accurate representations of Indigenous people in art.” That mission echoes through all aspects of his work, where disruption becomes a tool for truth-telling and cultural assertion.
Deal’s work has been exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally at institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, the Denver Art Museum, and RedLine Gallery, among others. He continues to use art as a form of advocacy and activism.