Internationally Acclaimed Artist Sky Hopinka to Open an Exhibition at Webster University

Sky Hopinka, a celebrated photographer and filmmaker who was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, will display a selection of his works at Webster University's Kooyumjian Gallery. The show, called Sky Hopinka: Languages, opens Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m. and will feature photography, film, and poetry in a presentation that explores Indigenous homeland, landscape, memory, and language.

“This is truly exciting, as he is one of the most acclaimed contemporary Indigenous artists working today,” said Kooyumjian Gallery Director Kristina Richards. “His work is deeply personal and visually lyrical. The works weave together moving images, sound, photography, and text to illuminate the enduring relationship between language and place.”

Hopinka is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and a descendant of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians.

Hopinka's films have screened at many of the world's most prestigious festivals, including Sundance, Toronto, and the New York Film Festival. His work has been exhibited internationally at leading museums and biennials and is currently the subject of major solo exhibitions and commissions across the United States, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. In 2026, Artnet News recognized Hopinka as one of the artists having the biggest moment in American museums, reflecting the extraordinary national attention his work continues to receive.

Among his many honors, Hopinka received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship ("Genius Grant") in 2022, recognizing his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary art. He is also a Guggenheim Fellow, recipient of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts for Film/Video, the Infinity Award in Art from the International Center of Photography, and the Baloise Art Prize at Art Basel. These awards place him among the most influential artists of his generation.

Hopinka is especially known for his experimental and poetic works examining Native American history, language, and lived experience. His acclaimed film Kicking the Clouds draws upon a rare audio recording of his grandmother learning her ancestral Pechanga language, interweaving family memory, landscape, and the artist's own poetry into a meditation on language loss, survival, and cultural continuity.

For St. Louis audiences, this exhibition represents an extraordinary opportunity, offering students, scholars, artists, and the broader St. Louis community direct access to one of the most important artistic voices working today. His presence underscores Webster University's commitment to bringing world-class contemporary artists to the community and enriching the cultural life of St. Louis.

Sky Hopinka: Languages-Photography, Poetry and Film opens October 2, 2026, at Webster University.

The Webster University Kooyumjian Gallery is located at 8300 Big Bend Boulevard, Second floor of the Sverdrup Complex, Webster Groves, Missouri 63119. Gallery hours are daily 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Free parking is available in campus lots. For additional information, please visit webster.edu/gallery or contact kgallery@webster.edu.