“My existence only exists because of what you think I should be and not what I actually am,” says Gregg Deal.
You may have seen his large-scale murals displayed locally behind the Boulder Theatre (completed during the town’s Street Wise event), or at Rayback Collective’s outdoor space that reveal powerful Indigenous portraits.
The Colorado-based husband, father, visual artist, educator and performer is an unapologetic statement maker using his identity as a Native American of the Paiute Tribe of Pyramid Lake to shift the narrative of Indigenous people in a society that has historically oppressed them. Gregg’s must-watch presentation for TedXBoulder addressed appropriation regarding Native peoples and was a call for decolonization. His layered collage-style paintings have been shown in multiple museums, including the Denver Art Museum. He has appeared on “The Daily Show,” Aljazeera and ESPN, and he has gained national recognition for his performance art. Using critical thinking, and with historical consideration, Gregg invites his viewers to re-evaluate their perspective on Indigenous people, which has largely been informed by media (in movies and sports mascots).
“I feel compelled to create. When I finished school, I chatted with my wife about what I was going to do, and I knew that art was my life’s work,” Gregg shares. “I make art that reflects on Indigenous people being in spaces that are not normally spaces people think we occupy."
Gregg plunges headfirst into a role of creative activism like addressing the environmental crises at Standing Rock and the Dakota Pipeline, with sacrifice being a common theme. He has had oil dripped on his body during performances, received live tattoos and chopped his hair in front of an audience.
“Creating work in this way is medicine,” he says.
Gregg’s latest performance piece and installation debuted in 2020 during September and October at the Arts Students League of Denver. “Modern Indigenous Living” is his live-action demonstration to show the duality of western society's expectations of Indigenous people while they simultaneously appropriate this culture as their own.
It all began when Gregg was asked to participate in a group show at the Smithsonian run by the Asian Pacific American Center using funds granted by the Ford Foundation. Forty artists and scholars contributed to “Cross Lines” to showcase intersectionality, from gender spectrums to ethnicity and age. Deal’s proposed exhibit used a previous performance titled “The Last American Indian on Earth” (available on YouTube) to pitch his piece, but it stunned the museum so much so that he was asked to create something different.
“My Indigenous voice was removed so that it could work within the bounds of the expectation of what my work should look like,” Gregg says.
What he submitted to the museum played on this specific experience and was titled “The Indian Voice Removal Act of 1879-2016,” referencing the date when government-sanctioned boarding schools began.
A year later Gregg shared this story with the Arts Student League in Denver, upon which he was immediately asked to execute his original piece for them.
“The premise of this show was that you can be an American and you can also be Indigenous, and you can have an intersection of your identity while still having an American experience,” he says. “I became a living embodiment of the stereotype.
An on-site tipi was on display to represent the “quintessential beacon of Indigeneity,” which was decorated with simple yet modern objects, including books and stereos playing punk music along with a headdress and tribal rugs that Gregg himself navigated around as he would do if no one was watching. It was an invitation for people to be challenged by what they thought he was supposed to live like.
A notable moment was when he came outside to chop both of his braids with a pair of scissors as the audience watched them fall to the ground.
“Hair is often considered a symbol of Indigeneity, so by taking that out of the equation, I could also ask the question about whether or not I am more or less as a result of this action,” Gregg proposes.
Viewers were able to explore Gregg’s make-shift modern home in a safe environment that pointed towards potential prejudices, making this a deeply memorable performance.
“In the art world so much of the perception of our existence dictates what sells and what doesn't sell, making it difficult to navigate spaces of contemporary art because you are having to participate in the context of a western buyers market,” Gregg says.
Indigenizing our spaces at home, in the workplace and in the classroom means bringing misrepresented voices to our daily lives through art, media and even decor. And during these modern times that have proven to challenge us, Gregg instills that “adversity begets innovation.” A poignant invitation to reflect and participate in new ways with Indigenous people whose very land we stand on.
SIDEBAR: Contact Gregg Deal
Website: GreggDeal.com
IG: @GreggDeal