meet 2025 Fellowship artist

John Feodorov

Cultural Affiliation: Navajo [Diné]

Of mixed Navajo (Diné) 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 engages and confronts the viewer through questioning assumptions about Identity, Spirituality, and Place within the context of colonization and late capitalism. His current work as an artist, musician, and educator continues these explorations in the face of ongoing tensions surrounding nationalism, immigration, and decolonization.

In 2023, he created a large four-panel public artwork titled Four Views on a River, addressing the historical exploitation of the Duwamish River, resulting in its current status as a Superfund Site. An exhibition of his career, Memories of a Suburban Ind’n premiered at Western Washington University’s Western Gallery in October of 2024. A related book about his work is scheduled for release in late 2025, including essays by Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Lucy R. Lippard, Erin Joyce, Wendy Red Star, Ninabah Winton, Larissa Nez, and Kristen Dorsey.

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”.