Marwin Begaye: Messengers

The Dalles Art Center is honored to present Messengers, an exhibition by Navajo (Diné) artist Marwin Begaye, whose work explores beauty, balance, and cultural knowledge through layered printmaking and mixed-media imagery. Rooted in the Navajo concept of hozhó - a philosophy of harmony, balance, and centeredness - Begaye’s work reflects a lifelong pursuit of creating beauty as both an artistic and spiritual practice.

Drawing from traditional Navajo teachings learned through stories, songs, and prayers, Begaye’s imagery has evolved from figurative portraits and dancers into richly layered compositions that merge abstraction, symbolism, and cultural narrative. Birds emerge as central figures throughout the exhibition, acting as messengers between worlds. Within Navajo cosmology, birds serve as teachers of hozhó, guiding balance and connection, while also existing as sensitive indicators of environmental change in the modern world.

Begaye’s process combines lithography, monoprint, linocut, and woodblock carving with digital construction and hand-rendered mark-making. Textile-inspired patterns,…