Bio

Andrew Wigwas is an Indigenous artist and proud member of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay First Nation). Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Andrew grew up with strong roots in both urban life and the land, spending summers visiting family and reconnecting with the culture and natural beauty of Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek .

His journey as an artist began with a deeply personal moment—the birth of his first son. Looking to bring life and color into the walls of their first apartment, Andrew picked up a brush and hasn’t looked back since. Over the past six years, he has honed a unique and evolving style, blending digital techniques with a strong sense of narrative and emotion.

 Andrew’s work is grounded in the exploration of relationships—between people, family, spirit, and self. His pieces often reflect the complexity and beauty of human connection through vibrant compositions and symbolic imagery. Animals, both local and those significant in Indigenous teachings, frequently appear in his art, serving as messengers, protectors, and representations of deeper truths.

With a focus on digital media, Andrew continues to push his creative boundaries while remaining deeply connected to his Anishinaabe identity, heritage, and worldview.

This vibrant digital illustration by Indigenous artist Andrew Wigwas brings together powerful symbolism and flowing form to explore themes of strength, balance, and interconnection. At the center of the piece is a bold and graceful buffalo, its form built from smooth, blended lines that shift between neon green-yellow, pinkish red, and soft light blue—colors chosen to evoke energy, vitality, and movement.

Within the buffalo’s body reside a fish, a turtle, and two birds—each representing different elements of life and relationship. The turtle, capable of living in both water and on land, symbolizes the meeting point between the physical and the spiritual, while the fish speaks to the deep, unseen currents of connection beneath the surface. The birds, one feeding the other, represent care, guidance, and the cycle of giving—further grounding the piece in themes of kinship. Above them all, the sun and moon hang together, reminding us of the balance between day and night, masculine and feminine, seen and unseen.

Through a seamless flow of bold and soft lines, Andrew weaves land, water, and sky into one unified image—each element interdependent, each life connected. This work invites the viewer to reflect not just on the natural world, but on the quiet ways we are all held together through relationship.