Between worlds with Sky Hopkina's visual poetry - 48 hills

"While Hopkina, who is based in New York and Massachusetts, has been included in many local group exhibitions and screenings, Basso dives deep into the artist's work with six films created over a nine-year period. As a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indian, Hopkina's use of poetry and atmospheric aesthetics is not only visually compelling, but mines the edges of linguistic, visual, and cultural legibility."

"At the exhibition's entrance, Hopkina presents the words for the "Ho-Chuck Holy Song." The text immediately introduces viewers to an oneiric world of ghosts that desire to be heard by the world and command one to dream. The text, which is repeated by "In Dreams and Autumn" (2021), suggests the power of an incantation and sets the stage for Hopkina's exploration of in-between worlds and visual poetry."

"Throughout the exhibition, text reappears in Hopkin's films as calligrams and animated poetry. In "He Who Wears Faces on His Ears" (2025), words crawl along the outer perimeter of the screen and spiral in center. With the text's movement and orientations, sometimes sideways and upside-down, Hopkina forces viewers to engage in the animated linear pattern, rather than focusing on reading. When viewers are momentarily able to catch phrases or words, the poetry suggests a cacophony of voices and movement between places."

Slash presents Sky Hopkina's solo exhibition "Sonic Transmission," curated by Gina Basso, featuring six films made over a nine-year period. Hopkina, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indian, combines poetry and atmospheric aesthetics to probe edges of linguistic, visual, and cultural legibility. The entrance displays the words of the "Ho-Chuck Holy Song," evoking ghosts that desire to be heard and command dreaming, a motif repeated in "In Dreams and Autumn" (2021). Text recurs as calligrams and animated poetry, and films like "He Who Wears Faces on His Ears" (2025) animate words to prioritize motion and layered cinematic landscapes over straightforward reading.

Read at 48 hills