Kylie (Wanatee) ThunderHawk
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Fine Arts represents
Kylie (Wanatee) ThunderHawk
Oglala Lakota | Rosebud Sioux Tribe
Kylie Wanatee-Thunderhawk is a Sicangu and Oglala Lakota artist from the Titowan band of the Oceti Sakowin and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. Working across acrylic, oil, gouache, charcoal, graphite, and mixed media, her paintings blend contemporary Indigenous storytelling with themes of kinship, identity, spirituality, and the enduring relationships between people, land, and ancestral knowledge.
Her distinctive visual language combines bold color palettes, ledger-inspired imagery, geometric design, and celestial symbolism to create works that exist between memory and imagination. Through expressive figures and symbolic narratives, Thunderhawk explores resilience, cultural continuity, and the emotional connections that bind generations together.
Thunderhawk participated in the Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute in 2019, 2021, and 2022, studying under accomplished Indigenous artists including Henry Payer, Keith BraveHeart, Melanie Yazzie, John Hitchcock, and Angela Babby. She credits the institute with helping shape both her artistic voice and her understanding of contemporary Native art as a means of expressing personal and cultural truth.
Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions, including Youthful Visions at Gallery 103 in Sioux City, Iowa, and she continues to develop a body of work that honors Lakota traditions while embracing a contemporary visual language uniquely her own.
Selected Exhibitions & Recognition
Youthful Visions – Solo Exhibition
Gallery 103, Sioux City, Iowa (2024). Thunderhawk’s debut solo exhibition showcased a collection of contemporary works exploring Indigenous identity, spirituality, and cultural resilience.
Oscar Howe Summer Art Institute
Participant (2019, 2021, 2022). Selected to attend the nationally recognized institute honoring Oscar Howe’s legacy and supporting emerging Indigenous artists through intensive studio practice and mentorship.
Lakota Nation Invitational Art Competition
Two-time consecutive award recipient, recognized for excellence in contemporary Native art while still a student.
