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Renelle White Buffalo

Tribal Affiliation: Sicangu Lakota

Born: 1987, South Dakota

Known for: Lakota symbolism and contemporary abstract

Renelle White Buffalo, an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, was born and raised in South Dakota.  She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Iowa State University.  Currently, she resides in New York City, where she works full-time as a professional artist.

She creates a broad range of works, including paintings on canvas, monotypes, and mixed media sculptures.  Her color palette is often drawn from the environment around her.

Both the natural and cultural history of the South Dakota prairies provide her with additional inspiration for her work.  In her paintings, Renelle transforms traditional Lakota symbolism into contemporary abstract artwork, allowing the composition to create a cross-cultural conversation. The bold and confidently layered brushstrokes of acrylic paint incorporate personal meaning and connections to her Native American roots.  Her work challenges the stereotypes and redefines the perceptions of being indigenous today, both on and off the reservation.

Renelle’s work has been exhibited in numerous venues, including the Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Exposure Gallery, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota.