Hold to This Earth review – an explosion of anger as Indigenous America shakes up Yorkshire

A major exhibition has opened at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, bringing together work from 38 Indigenous American artists. The show, titled 'Hold to This Earth', fills the park's underground galleries with a remarkable variety of materials and techniques. Traditional crafts like Navajo weaving, beadwork, and ceramics appear alongside videos, photographs, and glowing neon installations. Each artist explores themes of land, memory, and identity, using the visual languages of their ancestral cultures to address contemporary issues. The result is a powerful exploration of what it means to be Indigenous in North America today.

Many pieces directly address the legacy of colonialism and stolen land. Edgar Heap of Birds creates protest placards against the exploitation of sacred sites. Yatika Starr Fields displays tents used by Water Protectors at Standing Rock. Rose B Simpson, a Pueblo sculptor, shows ceramic figures that connect past and present generations of Indigenous women. While some critics note that the show cannot represent the full breadth of Indigenous art, it offers a compelling snapshot of a community united by shared history. The exhibition runs through April 18th.

Sources: theguardian.com