about.

George Alexander (aka. Ofuskie) is a Muscogee Creek artist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His artwork explores contemporary indigenous culture with imagery that challenges the boundaries of what is considered “Native Art”.

photo by Wes Cunningham, One Trip Media, 2017.

artist cv.

Education

  • Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) - Bachelors of Fine Art - 2015

  • Studio Art College International (SACI) - Masters in Fine Art - 2019

Current Exhibitions

Publications

  • Smith, Jaune Quick-to-See, et al. The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans. National Gallery of Art, 2023, pp. 40. (Copies are available for purchase here)

  • Horse With No Name, by George Alexander was featured on the cover of the 2023 Santa Fe Indian Market Booth Guide produced by Hutton Broadcasting and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. (Digital copy is available here)

Interviews

Features

Podcasts

photo by Wes Cunningham, One Trip Media, 2017.

Background

 

Coming from a rural town in Oklahoma, being an artist is the last thing most people would expect you’d become. I spent most of my childhood in a place called Mason. My father was a Muscogee (Creek) man and my mother was white. My passion for drawing came from not having a lot of money, and a way to cope through stressful times. My Mother and Father were very ill and when they were in the hospital, drawing would help pass the time. When I was 14, both my parents passed away within eight months of each other. Luckily, I come from a large family with five older sisters and one older brother. My sister Myra helped raise me into who I am today.

Through my academic years at the Institute of American Indian Arts, I would spend most of my time inside my studio painting because I wanted to be the best painter I could be. At first I would simply paint what I thought looked cool. As I dove deeper into my studies and read books written by Alan Watts, Greg Cajete and Vine Deloria Jr. there was a shift in my approach to my work. I started to use art to help guide my thoughts and explore narratives that would help me better understand who I am as a person. 

Since my childhood, I’ve come a long way in how I view and use art. Although it does still serve as a way to find an escape from this world, it has also helped me become more introspective and understand myself better. During my Master’s of Fine Art Program at the Studio Art College International in Florence Italy, I learned that art is a conversation that transcends the object and continues to the generation. The object only acts as a conduit for the dialogue to flow through. I believe we indigenous people already understood this.  With my upcoming work, I hope to reconnect with that truth. 

photo by Wes Cunningham, One Trip Media, 2017.

Artist Statement.

 

The main focus of my work is to understand who I am as a human being. My work usually begins with a vision. It isn't until I begin the piece and engage with the work that I begin to understand what it could mean. There are certain motifs that frequently arise in my work such as humanity, animals, and my indigenous culture. All of which help me dive deeper into my own beliefs.

As I explore my connection to humanity, I begin to realize that we have more in common than not. I believe the more you understand yourself, the more you can contribute to society. So, with my paintings or any other piece of art I create, it is a continuous dialogue of how I grow as a human. Which, I think is the real function of art-- starting a conversation that transcends the object and continues into future generations.

Photo by Wes Cunningham, One Trip Media, 2017.