Sky Hopinka

Sky Hopinka: *Kicking the Clouds* is an exhibition of photographs, poems, and film exploring the connections among family, language, landscape, memory, and contemporary Indigenous life. Hopinka, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, uses multimedia works to reflect on personal recollections and shared Native histories.

The exhibition’s title comes from *Kicking the Clouds* (2021), a 15-minute film based on a rare audio recording of the artist’s grandmother. The presentation also includes photographs etched with Hopinka’s poetry and a calligram, in which words are arranged into a symbolic image. Together, the works use visual, written, and spoken language to examine how people understand and inhabit place.

When: April 11–December 6, 2026

Venue: National Gallery of Art, West Building, Ground Floor, Gallery G22

Tickets: Free admission; passes are not required.

Featured artist: Sky Hopinka, a photographer, filmmaker, and poet affiliated with the Ho-Chunk Nation and Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians

Selected works: *Dickson Mounds* (2022); *Kicking the Clouds* (2021); *Free me from this body, my voice can carry only so far…* (2020); *Cahokia* (2022); and *Protected* (2022)

Film run time: *Kicking the Clouds* runs approximately 15 minutes and 6 seconds.

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Curator: Andrea Nelson, associate curator of photographs

Sponsor: Made possible with support from Daniel W. Hamilton.