Yani aviles (b. Canarsie and Munsee Lenape land, Lenapehoking | Brooklyn, NY) is a transdisciplinary conceptual artist whose practice is a form of medicine making. Their work navigates the intertwined lineages of the personal, historical, ecological, and social contemporary—turning research into ritual and facts into poetry. Guided by a liberation praxis, they work across various media, including time-based practices, sculpture, installation, and text, employing multisensory, participatory, and site-specific methods to challenge dominant systems of knowledge and transform states of crisis into moments for healing. Rooted in attentiveness and relation, they create discursive works and contemplative spaces for reflection, reckoning, and individual and collective regeneration—inviting new ways of being beyond extractive and colonial paradigms.
aviles has exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues including Parent Company (New York, NY), Apparatus Projects (Chicago, IL), and The Institut für Alles Mögliche (Berlin, DE), among others. They hold an MFA from Northwestern University, a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and certifications in integrative somatic trauma therapy, herbalism, and energy healing. aviles has taught, lectured, and participated in panels at Tufts University, Michigan State University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University, and EXPO Chicago.