Sky Hopinka: Kicking the Clouds

Through photographs, poems, and film, Sky Hopinka connects family, language, place, and lived Indigenous experience. ​​

Explore the powerful ties between language and landscape in works by Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians). A photographer, filmmaker, and poet, Hopinka creates multimedia art to reflect on personal memories and shared Native histories.

The exhibition takes its title from Kicking the Clouds (2021), a 15-minute film inspired by a rare audio recording of the artist’s grandmother. Photographs etched with Hopinka’s own poems are also featured alongside a calligram, words arranged to form a symbolic image. Together, these works show how Hopinka layers language—visual, written, and spoken—to present a nuanced understanding of place and the contemporary Indigenous experience.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website