Salt Canyon 002.2 from the collection of The Vestibule

Salt Canyon 002.2

dye sublimation aluminum prints

8 x 12 in

Framed: 20 x 20 in

Edition. 1/3

Through photography, video, sculpture, and performance, Gonzales’s work emphasizes the need to be more mindful of the origin story of the materials and resources that shape our everyday lives. Their work often incorporates “raw” construction materials such as stones, dirt, lumber, and, recently, rock salt. Though considered “raw”, these materials have been violently extracted and refined from their natural state. In addition to these materials, Gonzales also sources found or "ready-made" objects from the home – such as paperweights, door-stops, fire-pits, blankets, ashtrays. These objects are then paired with the so-called ‘raw’ materials in time-based performances and installations. Each piece is documented with video. Finally, still images are pulled from their video documentation are then exhibited as gridded fine-art prints or piles of prints – all of which are integrated into installations.

The performances that undergird the documentation and the final presentation in installations mean that the work is often ephemeral and transitional. Documentation may be the only proof that the work exists. Documentation always contains power; in this case, Gonzales claims that power as an indigenous person over their own work.

Gonzalez's work does not match the Western perceived visual cues of indigenous art. The work is not merely about observing a pile of stones and acknowledging that it comes from the earth. Their project emphasizes that the mining, transporting, and distributing those rocks involves the land and its people at every step. Through the photo documentation, they narrate the ongoing story of the land and the persistent struggles for safety, health, and sovereignty amongst all Indigenous peoples.

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About the artist

Stefan Gonzales

Stefan Gonzales is an Indigenous, nonbinary artist, curator, and arts educator based in Seattle. Through photography, video, sculpture, and performance, their work emphasizes the need to be more mindful of the materials and resources that shape our everyday lives. Their work often incorporates construction materials — such as stones, dirt, lumber, and, recently, rock salt — that are typically considered “raw” athough they have already been extracted and refined. Their photos and installations draw attention to the mining, transportation, and distribution systems that involve the land and its people. Their work narrates the ongoing story of the land and the persistent struggles for safety, health, and sovereignty amongst all Indigenous peoples.

Gonzales is an adjunct professor at the University of Washington and Cornish College of the Arts. They received a BFA from Cornish in 2016 and MFA from the University of Washington in 2020. In 2025, Gonzales received the Artists Trust: Lillian Miller Foundation Fellowship for Trans* and Indigiqueer Artists. Their recent exhibitions include solo exhibitions at The Vestibule and Specialist Gallery in Seattle, WA, in 2025. Their work has also been exhibited throughout the region at the Frye Art Museum, Das Schaufenster Gallery, the Henry Art Gallery, Melanie Flood Projects in Portland, OR, and Well-Well Projects in Portland, OR. In 2025 as a guest curator, Gonzales selected New York-based artist Christoper M Tandy for their first solo exhibition in Seattle. Stefan has participated in residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont (’24), Signal Fire Arts, Portland, OR, and the Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA.