Artist Statement

Damian Jim
Sculpture, Painting, and Digital Arts

I am Damian Jim, a Diné artist rooted in the Four Corners, and based in Phoenix, Arizona. My creative process thrives in the space between tradition and technology, where digital possibilities meet ancestral narratives. Creating layered works that challenge the viewer’s concept of indigenous art.

Digital Paintings as Storytelling

My background in graphic design, paired with my familiarity with digital tools such as Procreate and Nomad on iPad, has led me to explore art in 3D. Building models in Nomad, and cleaning up compositing using Blender and Adobe Photoshop. I build compositions by stacking 3D objects on my photography, and then use digital strokes/texturing/effects to conjure rich depths, dreamlike textures, and subconscious landscapes that evoke Diné mythology, sci-fi visions, and surreal possibilities.

Sculpture as Material Memory

While I have historically worked across acrylic, oil, ink, spray paint, and digital media, I’ve increasingly turned toward sculptural and tactile manifestations of my digital work. Sculpture becomes alive where form and narrative meet, where each piece tells a fragment of a story, each contour holds cultural memory, and each surface invites touch and contemplation. I engage the dimensionality of sculpture to emphasize the physicality and grounded importance of Indigenous presence in modern contexts.

Reviving Tradition through Technology

My early work with Twin Rocks Trading Post in Utah channeled this ethos by rendering Diné oral histories into precise digital designs that could be realized in woven baskets and textiles. This creative collaboration helped spark a Navajo basketry revival, reinforcing my belief that technology is not separate from tradition, but can rather reinvigorate it, and bring new traditions to indigenous art.

A Space shaped by Storytelling, Strength, and Evolution

Whether creating a digital print, a sculptural form, or a painting, I want to invite viewers to share in works that transform traditional stances on art; and inspire resilience and deep ties to Diné identity. Each piece is an invitation, into worlds where geometry meets myth, prose meets pattern, and every layer reflects a story waiting to emerge.