EDGAR HEAP OF BIRDS

- EDGAR HEAP OF BIRDS (HOCK E AYE VI) -

Cheyenne, Arapaho, 1954—

Edgar Heap of Birds (Hock E Aye VI) is an artist, activist, and educator, known for his provocative and thought-provoking work that addresses issues of Indigenous identity, historical trauma, colonialism, and the environment. Heap of Birds was born in Wichita, Kansas, and is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. His work spans multiple media, including painting, printmaking, public art installations, and conceptual art. One of his signature styles is the use of text-based conceptual art, often in public spaces. Heap of Birds is known for his use of concise, confrontational language in these works, where he combines poetry and activism to create messages that highlight the ongoing struggles of Indigenous people. 

Edgar Heap of Birds has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to Contemporary Art and Native American culture, including the United States Artists Fellowship and the Andy Warhol Foundation Fellowship. Heap of Birds has exhibited his work Internationally, with shows in venues such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, the British Museum, Denver Art Museum, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, University of California Berkeley Art Museum and IAIA MoCNA. The artist’s work has been included in prestigious exhibitions such as the Venice Biennale and Documenta. Edgar Heap of Birds’ work is in the permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum in Connecticut, the RISD Art Museum, the Walker Art Center, the Denver Art Museum and numerous other institutions.