Samuella Samaniego

(American | Tlingit, born 1958)

Seattle-based artist Samuella Samaniego (Tlingit) creates photographs and films that explore themes of survival, sexuality, resurrection, and ritual. Motivated and informed by social issues, her works portray and advocate cultural equality.

Samaniego was raised in Juneau, Southeast Alaska. She is of Tlingit (Native Alaskan) and Asian descent. Of her Tlingit heritage and its impact on her work, she notes "being Native, accepting the lifelong process of becoming Native, consistently informs the vision of my work. Photography is a Native art in every sense, demanding that one be attentive without disruption, establishing an intimate familiarity with one's environment... My work is about a particular moment of time, directly related to the present or in apparent dialogue with the past."