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Bio:
Of mixed Navajo/Diné (enrolled) and Euro-American heritage, John Feodorov grew up in the suburbs of Southern California in the city of Whittier, just east of Los Angeles. He and his family made annual visits to his grandparent's homestead in New Mexico as a child. The time he spent there continues to influence his creative practice.
Feodorov's art and music engage and confront the viewer through questioning assumptions about Identity, Spirituality, and Place within the context of late capitalism. His ongoing series, "Assimilations", continues these explorations in the face of ongoing tensions surrounding nationalism, immigration, and decolonization. In 2023 he completed a commission for a large-scale public artwork for the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The four-paneled piece addresses the historical exploitation of the Duwamish river which runs through Seattle, resulting in its current status as a Superfund Site. In 2021 Feodorov began a series of twelve paintings called "Yellow Dirt" that respond to the ongoing contamination from over 500 abandoned uranium mines on and near the Navajo Reservation. The completed series was exhibited at the Kennedy Museum of Art at the University at Ohio University andran from September 23 to December 18, 2022.
Feodorov has been featured in several publications, such as Time and Time Again by Lucy R. Lippard, Art + Religion, edited by Aaron Rosen, and Manifestations, edited by Dr. Nancy Marie Mithlo. He was also featured in the first season of the PBS series, "Art 21: Art for the 21st Century".
Feodorov is co-founder of Animal Saint, a musical partnership with composer/musician and longtime collaborator Paul Amiel. Their debut album, "The History Of The United States As Performed By Animal Saint" was released in 2020. Their second album, Burning Empire, was released in 2023. For more info, videos, and audio samples please visit their website: www.animalsaint.com and on Spotify.
Feodorov also served as an Arts Commissioner for the City of Seattle from 2000-2003 and currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Art at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. His work is included in several public and private collections throughout the U.S.
Artist Statement:
I create art to question and challenge my own experiences, ideas, and assumptions. I'm not necessarily trying to find resolution, but I am interested in interrogating the contexts of these experiences.
Lately, I've been thinking about identity in more complex and personal ways. I am interested in how identity may be influenced and manipulated by politics and capitalism. How are feelings of disconnection manifested in our lives or within our societies? How might our alienation benefit those in power? What are the alternatives?
As an Indigenous person, I have seen sacred lands and traditions desecrated and exploited. I have witnessed relatives succumb to alcohol and diabetes, abandon traditions, and embrace Christianity and capitalism. That said, I am careful not to romanticize my heritage. Instead, I use art as a means for considering and exposing the effects of alienation and assimilation on my own family as suburbanized Indians.
For me, art is not so much a matter of self-expression as it is a process of self and societal interrogation. Over the years, I have realized that my art is simply an honest reflection of what I think and care about. Art-making is a place where I can question, doubt, and resist. But it is also a place to be curious, to explore, and to find joy. For years, I have told my students that artists need to be like fleas on a dog. The goal is not to become the dog, but rather to make sure the dog never becomes too comfortable.
Woof!
