“Expressions of indigeneity have been a hallmark of artist Linda Vallejo’s (b. 1951) creative output throughout her career. Informed by her background, personal life, and political commitments, these visual references date back to her earliest work, including that done in graduate school in the late 1970s. While it is not unusual for a Chicanx artist to reference Native cultures, Vallejo’s particular means of articulating indigeneity are unusual. This brief commentary focuses on the centrality of indigeneity in her work—from her earliest expressions to later, more abstract representations—and on her early ecofeminist works, which are intimately tied to her Chicana Indígena identity.”

This essay is inspired by her recent solo show at the Parrasch Heijnen gallery in Los Angeles, Linda Vallejo: Select Works, 1969–2024 (August 17–September 21, 2024), as well as the artist herself and previous scholarship.