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Four Winds Gallery

Current Exhibition:
Cody Sanderson


Past Exhibitions:
Buying Trip 2008
R.C. Gorman
Bruce King and Na Na Ping
Jovanna Poblano and Daniel Chattin
Buying Trip 2007
Liz Wallace
Stan Natchez - Shoshoni/Paiute Artist
NaNa Ping and Thomas Bucich
Buying Trip 2006
George Catlin
Denise and Samuel Wallace
Image Gallery - Denise and Samuel Wallace
Image Gallery - Dawn Wallace
Charlene Reano
Buying Trip 2005
Robert Deurloo
Edward Sheriff Curtis
Liz Wallace
Buying Trip 2004
Zapotec Weavings of Teotitlan
Clifford Fragua
NaNa Ping

Clifford Fragua

Four Winds Gallery welcomes Cliff Fragua, renowned Native American sculptor for his second exhibition in Australia.

Clifford Fragua lives in Jemez Pueblo New Mexico, USA. This collection consists of fourteen pieces carved in beautiful alabasters and marbles. Cliff remains one of the most precise and imaginative sculptors of the Southwest,capturing the allure of the Native American spirit.



In Fragua’s sculptures there are the qualities of femininity and fluidity. He recognises the soft, gentle characteristics of stone; it is not cold, hard and lifeless. The presence of water is also an inspiration to Fragua: the fact that the alabaster is formed from water gives him the fluid feeling he carries through his work.“With time, water will carve through stone. With patience, I can too.”

While growing up, Fragua lived in many different areas of the United States. When his family returned to Jemez Pueblo to stay, Fragua attended the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, and even travelled to Italy to study.

It is because of his broad view of the world that Fragua’s work, although always Native American in theme, is often varied in style. Whether he chooses to work through a representational, symbolic, expressive or even abstract style, Fragua is consistent as he listens to the voice of the stone. “A stone already has its own spirituality when it comes from the earth,” Fragua states. “My job is to help it through the transition from stone to actual being, to help it evolve.”

Native American sculptor Cliff Fragua has learned the secret of the stone because he listens. Although Fragua has returned to reside in his ancestral home of Jemez Pueblo, New Mexico, his extensive travels bring a sophisticated quality to the alabaster and marble that he carves. Based in Native American themes, his work shows pride for his culture and a deep understanding of the inherent spirituality of stone.

Of his sculpting process, Cliff Fragua speaks using the analogy of a parent raising a child. He helps the stone develop to its full potential, expending much time, energy and emotion. When a piece is finished he must send it on its way, knowing his efforts have resulted in something that will bring pleasure to others.

Cliff Fragua is currently working on a major commission of ‘Popé-pueblo hero 1680.’ This monumental scale piece will be placed in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capital building in Washington D.C.