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Yatika Starr Fields

Born in 1980 in Tulsa, Yatika Starr Fields is a member of the Cherokee, Creek and Osage tribes, as well as a member of the Bear Clan.

Yatika Fields studied landscape painting at the University of Oklahoma’s Sienna, Italy summer program before enrolling at the Art Institute of Boston from 2001 to 2004. While living on the East Coast, the artist developed a keen interest in street art. His dynamic, vibrant graffiti works quickly attracted attention, generating public and private mural commissions across the country from Portland to Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Santa Fe, and Bentonville.

In 2018, he completed Astonishment of Perception, a monumental site-specific mural in downtown Bentonville, as part of Crystal Bridges Museum’s Art for a New Understanding (2018–2019). Spanning the side of Cripps Law Firm’s two-story building, the work depicts lady justice peeking from behind her blindfold, highlighting the dissonance between America’s ideals and its judicial system in practice. Like many of Fields’s works, the mural blends abstract and stylistic elements, figuration, and allegorical narrative, all in a dynamic, saturated Pop-palette.

After joining the water protectors at the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016, Fields began to give the Indigenous history of hope and struggle a greater focus in his work. In the 2017 series Tent Metaphor Standing Rock, the artist recovered tents after the infamous February 22, 2017 police raid on the protesters, sewing the recovered material into shapes resembling coffins, sleeping bags, or kites. Fields first worked with tents—a mainstay of middle-class camping holidays—after witnessing Seattle’s brightly colored homeless encampments. His interest only increased after noticing the structure’s role in modern protest movements. The artist recombines the vivid material into traditional Indigenous patterns, anti-pipeline slogans like “Stop the Black Snake,” and into dynamic, compelling abstract compositions. In its totality, the series blurs the boundaries between political polemic and abstraction, between distress, resistance, and hope.

The painting, America Realized (2017), also memorializes the experience at Standing Rock. The composition is explosive: Torrents of ice and fire swirl through prayer ties and collapsing tents, recounting the freezing weather, police force, and fires that the activists braved at Oceti Sakowin, the central camp in Cannon Ball, North Dakota. A surveillance drone flies across the top of the expansive canvas packed with razor wire, floodlights, and debris. The scale of the 6-by-6-foot composition allows for Fields to replicate the embodied, fluid performance of mural and street art. As in graffiti works, Fields blurs the line between abstraction and representation, creating stylistic compositions out of recognizable elements, and setting them against dynamic, swirling fields of color and twisting forms.

Fields has participated in over 43 solo and group exhibitions at venues across the United States and Europe, including: the Southern Plains Indian Museum, (2008, Anadarko, Oklahoma); Chiaroscuro Contemporary (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, Santa Fe); BlueRain Gallery (2015, 2016, 2018, Santa Fe); Peabody Essex Museum, (2015–2016, Salem, MA); Rainmaker Gallery (2017, Bristol, UK); the Grand Palais (2018, Paris); the Philbrook Museum (2018, Tulsa); the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, 2019); and the Gilcrease Museum, (2019, Tulsa). Fields’s paintings are featured in the collections of many museums across the country, including: the Heard Museum (Phoenix); the Hood Museum (Dartmouth College); Oklahoma State Museum of Art; the Peabody Essex Museum; and the Sam Noble Museum (University of Oklahoma).

1980
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Lives and works in Tulsa, Oklahoma

 

EDUCATION

2001–2004
Art Institute of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts

 

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2008
Dynamic Interpretations, Southern Plains Indian Museum, Anadarko, Oklahoma, July 27–September 27

2013
YARRA, House of Bricks Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

2017
Yatika Starr Fields, Rainmaker Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom, July 12–October 28

2018
Decadence, Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma, January
Valor, Bastion Gallery, Fort Smith, Arkansas, October 20–28

2019
Realms and Apparitions, Joseph Gierek Fine Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma, April 25–May 25

2022
Yatika Starr Fields: Fear Not, Garth Greenan Gallery, New York, New York, January 27–March 12

2024
Yatika Fields, The Gardiner Gallery of Art, Oklahoma State State University, September 18–October 25, 2024

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2008
Native Voices, Salena Gallery, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York, March 3–28
Without Limits: Contemporary Indian Market Exhibition, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 15–September 13

2009
The Importance of In/Visibility: Recent Work by Native American Artists Living in New York City, Abrazo Interno Gallery, Amerinda, New York, New York, April 11–May 9
Into the Now, From Then: Indian Market Exhibition, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 14–September 12
Relevant: Reflection, Reformation, Revival, Nathan Cummings Gallery, New York, New York, October 1–December 19

2010
Spring Thaw, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, April 2–May 1
Indian Ink, Legends Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 13
Collected Voices: Contemporary Native Art, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 13–September 10
Inside-Outside, Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma, December 11

2011
Indian Ink 2, Pravus Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona, March 5–29
Post it Show, Atticus Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, May 5
Trio: Whitehorse, Cunningham, Fields, Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 19–September 10
Smoke Signals, Orenda Gallery, Paris, France, November 16–22
Exhibit of the Salon du Dessin et de la Peinture à l’Eau, Grand Palais, Paris, France, November 22–27

2012
Indigenous Water Rights, MAINSITE Gallery, Norman, Oklahoma
Native Group Show, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2013
The Old Becomes the New, Wilmer Jennings Gallery, New York, New York, April 3–June 2
Unraveling Time, Creating Space, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana, May 31–August 24
Native Group Show, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 16–September 14

2013–2014
Affiliated, Brisky Gallery, Miami, Florida, December 3, 2013–January 11, 2014

2014
Painters Delight, Brisky Gallery, Miami, Florida, April 10– May 31
Native Contemporary, Peggy Zask Gallery, Los Angeles, California, April 26–June 8
Contemporary Native Group Show, Chiaroscuro Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 15–31
Native(X), Weiden and Kennedy Gallery, Portland, Oregon, November 6

2015
Invitational, BlueRain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe Indian Market, Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2015–2016
Native Fashion Now, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts, November 15, 2015–March 6, 2016

2016
Santa Fe Indian Market, BlueRain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2016–2017
Protect the Sacred, SpaceWorks Gallery, Tacoma, Washington, December 31, 2016–February 16, 2017

2017
Annual Celebration of Native American Art, Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 15–August 20
Broken Boxes, form & concept gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 18–October 21
Cultural Crossroads, J. Gierek Fine Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma, October 19–November 18
Santa Fe Indian Market, BlueRain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2017–2018
Native Color, Rainmaker Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom, November 2017–February 2018

2017–2019
Monarchs: Native and Brown Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, Omaha, Nebraska, December 7, 2017–February 24, 2018; Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida, May 24–August 5, 2018; Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, October 4, 2018–January 6, 2019; Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, Kansas, March 7–June 2, 2019

2018
Fluent Generations: The Art of Anita, Tom and Yatika Fields, Sam Noble Museum, Norman, Oklahoma, January 20–May 6
New/Now, Philbrook Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma, January 27–March 3
The Condor and the Eagle: Moving Forward After Standing Rock, Elisabeth Jones Art Center, Portland, Oregon, June 7–July 19
Annual Celebration of Native American Art, BlueRain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, August 16–19
Santa Fe Indian Market, BlueRain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

2018–2019
Birds Beasts & Butterflies, Rainmaker Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom, November 1, 2018–February 28, 2019

2018–2020
Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, October 6, 2018–January 1, 2019; Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, January 25–July 19, 2019; Nasher Museum of Art, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, August 22, 2019–January 5, 2020; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee, February 22–September 27, 2020

2019
The Young Americans, Rainmaker Gallery, Bristol, United Kingdom, March 21–June 15
Recall/Respond, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 21–October 13

2020
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, PDX Contemporary Art, Portand, Oregon, September 30–October 31
STTLMNT: An Indigenous Digital Occupation, online, https://www.sttlmnt.org, October 13–ongoing

2020–2021
Bright Golden Haze, Oklahoma Contemporary, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, August 26, 2020– January 4, 2021

2022
This Land: American Engagement with the Natural World, Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 5–July 23

2023
ArtNow: The Soul is a Wanderer, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 22, 2023–January 15, 2024

2024
In an effort to be held, The Shepherd, Detroit, Michigan, August 3–October 12, 2024

2024–2025
American Sunrise: Indigenous Art at Crystal Bridges, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, November 9, 2024–March 23, 2025

SELECTED COLLECTIONS

Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona

Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Oklahoma State Museum of Art, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

Sam Noble Museum of Art, Norman, Oklahoma

Volkenkunde Museum, Lieden, Netherlands

 

BOOKS AND CATALOGUES

Besaw, Mindy N., Candice Hopkins, and Manuela Well-Off-Man. Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2018.

Dynamic Interpretations. Exhibition catalogue. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Arts and Craft Board, 2008.

Martine, David Bunn. The Old Becomes the New: New York Contemporary Native American Art Movement and the New York School. Exhibition catalogue. New York: American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA), 2013.

Mithlo, Nancy Marie, ed. Manifestations: New Native Art Criticism. Santa Fe: Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, 2011.

Relevant: Reflection, Reformation, Revival. Exhibition catalogue. New York: The Nathan Cummings Foundation, 2009.

The Importance of In/Visibility. Exhibition catalogue. New York: American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA), 2009.

 

PERIODICALS

Abatemarco, Michael. “Cross Cultures.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, August 16, 2013, 60.

“Art Fellowship Participants Selected.” Journal Record, June 16, 2016.

“Automobile Alley Mural Planned.” Journal Record, February 23, 2015.

Barker, Kimberly. “Mural Fest 66 Brings Culture, Art to Life in Miami.” The Joplin Globe, April 30, 2018.

Capriccioso, Rob. “A Work in Progress.” Indian Country Today, March 3, 2010.

“Chalkfest to Decorate Deco District During Mayfest.” Tulsa World, April 26, 2012.

Cipolle, Alex V. “Increasing Exposure for Native Artists.” The New York Times, March 12, 2019.

Crawford, Grant D. “Mural Artist Focuses on Rhythm, Place.” Tahlequah Daily Press, November 15, 2017.

“Exhibitionism: A Peek at What’s Showing Around Town.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, August 20, 2010.

Gatewood, Tara. “In Plain Sight.” Native Peoples Magazine 26, no. 4 (2013): 76–79.

Green, Christopher. “Beyond Inclusion.” Art in America 107, no. 2 (2019): 72–77.

Huang, Artemis. “GALLERY: Behind the Entrance Wall: Native American History Told.” Boston University News Service, October 10, 2021.

“Illuminations with Yatika Fields.” Oklahoma Contemporary, March 26, 2020.

“Interview with Yatika Starr Fields.” Broken Boxes, August 20, 2014.

Lyssens, Siska. “Rand Elliott’s Oklahoma Contemporary Draws on the Region’s Light and Sky.” Wallpaper, March 3, 2020.

Mashunkashey, Abigail. “Yatika Starr Fields on Giving Back and Strengthening Community Connection.” Osage News, May 7, 2021.

McDonnell, Brandy. “Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum Featuring Tulsa Native American Family in Exhibit ’Fluent Generations: The Art of Anita, Tom and Yatika Fields.” The Oklahoman, January 18, 2018.

Mohn, Tanya. “A Fresh Take on the Mayflower’s History.” The New York Times, March 10, 2020.

Morales, Cianna Rothwell. “‘Indigenous Mural’ in MU Student Center Brings Visibility to Native Students.” Columbian Missourian, November 11, 2020.

“North Central Oklahoma: A Center for Murals,” The Ponca City News, May 6, 2021.

Panne, Valerie Vande. “In Boston, a Legendary Marathon Confronts Its Past—and Present.” Native News Online, October 10, 2021.

Plummer-Blanco, Talullah. “A New Portland Gallery Puts Activism on Show.” Portland Monthly, July 19, 2018.

Polston, Pamela. “‘This Land,’ at the Hood Museum, Considers the Meaning of Place.” Seven Days, January 19, 2022.

Powell, Mason Whitehorn. “It’s a Prayer: Tulsa Artist Fellow Yatika Fields on the Harmony of Ultra- Running and Painting.” Tulsa People, September 18, 2019.

Selected Bibliography

Pryor, Ben. “Boston Marathon, Boston Strong--Through Native Roots.” Native News Online, April 13, 2022.

Scanlan, Laura Wolff. “Around the Nation.” Humanities 35, no. 5 (2014): 48–53.

Serrano, Sara. “Locals cry foul as downtown mural covered by paint.” Tahlequah Daily Press, July 29, 2022.

Tall, Chief Russ. “Focus: Santa Fe.” Native Peoples Magazine 25, no. 4 (2012): 146–51.

Thorson, Alice. “Gallery Glance: ‘Yatika Starr Fields: Playing with Fire’ at Travois.” KC Studio, October 28, 2019.

“Urban Nature.” The Santa Fe New Mexican, August 19, 2005.

Vartanian, Hrag. “A Report from Standing Rock, Where Artists Listen, Learn, Inspire, and Heal.” Hyperallergic, November 29, 2016.

———. “Yatika Starr Fields and the Imagined Barrier Between Art and Life,” Hyperallergic, March 11, 2022.

Watkins, Ellen. “Native Art Has No Limits.” Native Peoples Magazine 25, no. 6 (2012): 40–41.

Wyszopolski, Bondo. “The Natives are Restless and showing their art in Rolling Hills Estates.” Easy Reader & Peninsula, April 23, 2014.

“Yatika Fields Creates Memorial Park Mural, the First Public Art Commission for the City of Siloam Springs, Arkansas.” Forecast, n.d.