Acclaimed painter Emmi Whitehorse, renowned for her abstract landscapes inspired by the Indigenous Southwest, has officially joined White Cube. This partnership complements her ongoing representation by Garth Greenan Gallery in New York, which has showcased her art since 2022.
Whitehorse's upcoming painting, Father Sky meets Mother Earth, will be prominently displayed at Art Basel Hong Kong later this month. This collaboration follows her successful solo exhibition at White Cube's Paris venue last September.
As a member of the Navajo Nation, Whitehorse stands out as one of the few Indigenous artists represented by a prestigious international gallery. Her artistic journey features ethereal, semi-abstract works characterized by delicate oil washes in harmonious gradients of color, often depicting elements of flora and fauna. She describes these pieces as landscapes that embody the Navajo philosophy of Hózhó, symbolizing a balance between humanity, beauty, and nature.
Born in 1957 in Crown Point, New Mexico, Whitehorse earned her bachelor's degree in painting in 1980 and a master's in printing in 1982 from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. During her studies, she co-founded the Grey Canyon Group alongside the late artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, aiming to challenge stereotypes of Indigenous peoples through art.
Throughout her career, Whitehorse has maintained a consistent exhibition presence. Notably, she participated in the 2024 Venice Biennale with the main exhibition titled "Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere," curated by Adriano Pedrosa. Her work has also been featured in significant group exhibitions, such as "The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans" at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and "Hearts of Our People" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Her artwork is housed in numerous esteemed collections, including the National Gallery of Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.
In a statement, Susan May, global artistic director of White Cube, expressed her enthusiasm about Whitehorse joining the gallery, highlighting how her meditative and poetic paintings encourage a deeper connection with nature. The vibrant colors, dynamic brushwork, and symbolic motifs in her art emphasize the beauty of the natural world and humanity's intrinsic link to the environment.