Hoka Skenandore was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1982. Skenandore grew up in a home where he learned to appreciate traditional Native American art alongside fine art. On his own, he embraced the D.I.Y. ethos of punk rock and hip-hop culture and painted graffiti art. Skenandore currently lives in Norman, Oklahoma and is building off his bachelor of fine arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM, to pursue a master of fine arts from the University of Oklahoma.

With a background in graffiti, murals, painting and printmaking, Skenandore said his work is a vehicle creating a less rigid definition of “Native Art” and its potentialities. Through his art, Skenandore said his aim is to “bridge the gaps between the gallery, the gutter and everything in between.”