George Alexander II, Matthew Bahe, Chelsea A. Benally, Heidi Brandow, Bob Haozous Omar Ganzo, Julia Lambright, and Duhon James
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 18, 2025, 4pm to 7pm
Location: Gallery Hózhó at Hotel Chaco in Albuquerque, NM
Following the excitement of Balloon Fiesta and our Pop-Up artist showcases, Gallery Hózhó is delighted to invite you to the opening reception of Figuring It Out on Saturday, October 25, 2025, from 4:00pm to 7pm. All while we celebrate the artists, there will be a live flamenco performance featuring Jessica Herrera. We hope to see you there for an all around celebration!
George Alexander II (Aka. Ofuskie) is a Muskogee-Creek artist that blends surrealist symbolism with Indigenous values and a visionary humanitarian outlook. His work inspires dialogues on unity, compassion, and the eternal pursuit of progress. By exploring themes such as time, dreams, landscape, and identity, he encourages viewers to reflect on their own roles in creating a more harmonious and equitable world.
Matthew Bahe is a Diné craftsman/artist from Farmington New Mexico, who grew up on the Diné reservation next to Hogback, New Mexico. His work is modern/ contemporary with formalities towards his Diné artistic background. Babe creates artwork with modern materials and decorates with Diné influence designs, to pay homage to his artistic culture. He never replicates designs, so every artwork created is distinct. Using modern art techniques/ contemporary art styles allow Bahe to combine and explore more different artistic doors, while allowing him to add to his personal Diné touch to any artwork and art medium.
Chelsea A. Benally Born in 1992 and from Crystal, New Mexico, Chelsea A. Benally earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with an emphasis in photography and painting. They’re based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, continuing to explore abstract and portraitures. Benally serves as assistant director at Gallery Hózhó located in Hotel Chaco.
Heidi K. Brandow (Diné & Kānaka Maoli) is a versatile artist whose work prioritizes the inclusion of Indigenous people and perspectives in creating ethical and sustainable forms of creative engagement and artistic expression.
Born and raised in Campeche, Mexico, Omar Ganzo connects to his homeland through his paintings and his poetry, using Surrealist and abstract elements in his work. After moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ganzo expanded his creative practice, working in three dimensions and innovating a multi-media painting process, beginning with a plastered surface then painted with acrylics using a fresco secco technique and finished with an acrylic resin application to add a high gloss to the surface.
After the war, Bob Haozous attended the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California, where he earned his BFA degree in sculpture in 1971. Haozous is known for working in a range of media, from drawing, painting, and printmaking to jewelry, but his primary focus is on sculpture, especially monumental public works.
Painter Julia Lambright was born and raised in Russia. She earned a BFA and MFA with Distinction from the University of New Mexico. Working in oil in the past, her prime medium of choice is egg-tempera, knowledge she acquired from masters in Russia and the United States. While searching for a personal spiritual experience, Julia began exploring iconographic canons, formulas, and techniques of 17th century icon painting. Her works document the silent and persistent dialogue between past and present and served as a voice to address memory, vision, and childhood experiences.
Through the years, Lambright has allowed her artwork to evolve and shift. Her continuous fascination with materials led to an exploration with soft pastels that offer a new visual perspective. Searching for a more immediate expression and greater experimental capabilities, she challenges the traditional approach with materials with the desire to express sensation that evokes her inner world. In this visual dialogue, Lambright invites the viewer to have their own subjective experience and interpretation. She lives and works in Albuquerque
Duhon James I am Water’s Edgeclan, born for the Bitter Water Clan, from Ganado, AZ. In Spring 2014, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts.