The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 2, 2026

A horizontally oriented photograph is divided horizontally by a flat horizon. In the foreground, gray stones mottled with orange and black lichen create a textured mosaic, punctuated by tufts of green grass. In the middle ground, a large emerald hill slopes from the left, while a smaller mound rises in the distant right. Above, a pale, hazy sky fills the upper half of the frame, casting the scene in diffuse light.

Visions of an Island

2016

Sky Hopinka

(Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, b. 1984)
America, Native North American, Northwest
HD video, stereo, color, 15:00 minutes
Purchased with funds donated by Scott Mueller 2025.160
© Sky Hopinka, Courtesy of Broadway Gallery, LLC
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Saint Paul Island off the coast of Alaska is home to the Unangax̂, an Indigenous population and community.

Description

In Visions of an Island, Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, b. 1984) integrates three distinct elements: an Unangax̂ elder describing Saint Paul Island off the coast of Alaska, students learning the Unangam Tunuu language, and sequences of dream-like natural imagery. As the camera pans across rocky cliffs, rough waters, and weathered houses, we hear reflections on the capacities of language to represent the landscapes that we inhabit.
  • 2025
    (Broadway Gallery, New York, NY, 2025, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    2025
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • DeFeo, Janine and Brandon Eng. “Did You See the Island?: Sky Hopinka on Film and Knowledge.” N.d. Walker Publishing walkerart.org
    Abrams, Matthew J. “In Search of Lost Words: The Work of Sky Hopinka.” Los Angeles Review of Books, (September 29, 2017) lareviewofbooks.org
    Quinn, Kellen. “Journey to the Bering Sea in Search of a Deep ‘Not Knowing’.” Psyche, (June 17, 2020) psyche.co
  • {{cite web|title=Visions of an Island|url=false|author=Sky Hopinka|year=2016|access-date=02 June 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2025.160