Yatika Starr Fields
Yatika Starr Fields (born 1980) is a Native American painter, muralist and street artist, born in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. His artworks were shown at numerous galleries and museums, including the APEC Young Artist Exhibition and recently in the Sam Noble Museum. Fields' artworks explores the themes of family, community, and cultural diversity to illustrate its significance in societal norms for Native Americans. Biography. Yatika Fields grew up in an artistic family and followed in the footsteps of his parents, Tom and Anita Fields, who are both Native artists themselves. Yatika Fields is part of the  Cherokee, Creek and Osage tribes. He is also a Bear clan member. In the Creek and Osage tribes, he is named Yvtekv (meaning "interpreter"), and has some multivalent projects that are open to the audience. The name Ho-moie was also given to him from the members of the Osage tribes. Fields' techniques involve using oil, acrylic, and watercolour mediums on canvases and paper to create his works of art. He utilizes bright, vibrant colours which are visible in his large illustrations. His mural pieces are expressed inside galleries and outside on the streets, which is where he continues to  produce his graffiti art. Life and Education. Yatika Starr Fields attended Stillwater High School where he found his passion for painting. In high school, he was given many opportunities where he learned a variety of different techniques. Fields has been able to travel the world and engage with diverse cultural communities. “I got to meet all of these artists who were quite young, but older than me. They were already making amazing work,” remembers Fields. “I saw on a global scale what artists were doing and the dialogue they were having, and that shifted my perception of what I wanted  to do.” In 2000, Yatika attended a college-level summer painting course in Italy, which was organized by an art professor from Oklahoma State University (OSU). In November, he presented himself at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting where he was chosen to represent young Native American artists. In this regard, he studied how to paint with materials, such as light and colour. Graffiti Art. In his graffiti pieces, Fields uses distinctive approaches (lines, movement, layering), which differentiates him from other painters. He then graduated from high school and attended the Art Institute of Boston from 2001 to 2004. During these  years, he continued to paint, and he began to work on large murals. This was where he developed his interest in graffiti art. “Graffiti is very confrontational This was me rebelling against the western idea of fine art. It was me finding another new voice and new style and rejecting everything I had just learned (in college),” says Fields adding that his graffiti work added to his ability to work large-scale and use full body motion are skills that he continues to utilize when creating large murals in front of an audience: “It’s almost choreographed, like you’re  putting on a performance.” Indigenous Culture. The use of strong and vibrant colours in his pieces portray the diverse groups of Indigenous people. Through Yatika’s artworks, he encourages individuals to have an enhanced understanding on indigenous culture because of the way they are misrepresented in society. He paints his large murals in Indigenous areas and in places that aren’t as wealthy. He creates his art in these communities because he wants to brighten these sites with bold colours in order to show the beauty of that specific place. Fields wants to give back to the community he came  from. “I think I’ve only really seen that in the last five years - I’m at an age now that it’s my turn to do that,” says Fields. “In your twenties you're still relying on mentors and older artists, but then you get to a point that you say ‘Oh, I’m that artist now.’ It’s in my nature to give back and I’m happy that it’s there. Any young artist, especially Native artists, as long as they’re doing it right - right meaning challenging the perception of the work and working with their  community - I want to help because I’ve been fortunate to get where I am today through the help of others.” Standing Rock Protests. Fields was at Standing Rock in 2016 when he joined the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their supporters at the Dakota Access Pipeline, a major event in his life as an activist. Fields says being a part of the protests significantly shifted the content of his artwork and how he perceives his responsibility not only as an artist. “My dad was at Alcatraz and we had family friends at Wounded Knee, so I’ve always known  about Native American occupations and the politics of the United States,” said Fields. “There was an opportunity to go, not just as a spectator, but to be a believer for who we are as a people and to fight for our rights just like my ancestors did. It was very powerful.” War Club. Fields is working with his mother (Fiber Artist Anita Fields) to create a community engagement project titled “War Club" which will focus on Oklahoma Indigenous activism from the late 1960s to present day. “As a Native, we are political just by being alive and existing,” says Fields . “I’m an artist, I’m an image maker and thinker. I want my work to be with dialogue to make you think about things. Maybe we can find a solution through these works. I’m not for sure, but it’s worth trying, and we have to do it together.” Artworks. White Buffalo Calf Woman. In 2017, Yatika Starr Fields took part in a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (#NODAPL), which involved an oil pipeline running through rivers near the Standing Rock reservation. The Standing Rock tribe saw this as an issue because it could have harmed their  indigenous land containing ancestral burial grounds. He showed his involvement in the protest through his art. This oil on canvas artwork is divided into three sections that illustrate different elements. The sunrise and sunset are painted on the top and lower half of the painting to indicate the time the ceremony took place. In the centre, there are three women marching on the street, wearing a long skirt or dress with winter boots. The shawl that is worn over the women’s clothes is a symbol for the White Buffalo Calf Woman. Yatika Fields painted this piece to show his  support for the women protesting and standing up for the Standing Rock tribes. Sami Solidarity. An oil on canvas painted by Yatika Fields in 2017 portrays the hardships of protecting Indigenous land. There are many vibrant colours that was used in this piece. In 2016, Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish indigenous people and two Sami women were leaving the Oceti Sakowin. This was a camp resisting the Dakota Access Pipeline where indigenous people would stand up for their rights against government oppression. The two indigenous individuals in the painting are wearing gákti which is a traditional item of clothing. The gákti  is worn during ceremonies that are "characterized by bands of contrasting colors, a high collar embroidery and tin art" Yatika Fields captured this moment to illustrate the realities of indigenous people. Prayer for the Return of Bees. This is an oil on canvas, painted in 2008. Through this piece, Yatika Fields tried to imagine a world where bees were extinct. Thus, he wanted to show the global issue of the decline in bee population. He added elements of nature while using bright and bold colours. Mural in Native Engagement Center at Northern Oklahoma College. In 2021 Northern Oklahoma College partnered  with Pickens Museum to display works of art at NOC's Tonkawa campus including a 20 foot by 60 foot mural by Osage Artist Yatika Starr Fields. Fields’ mural is alive with movement and filled with images that rely on vibrant colors and swirling patterns to show drums, beads, dancers, and horses. “When you dance, it’s always about movement and rhythm,” says Fields. “This is something that’s always been a part of my life. As any Native person knows who dances or participates in ceremonies, they understand that feeling of rhythm and place and movement.” That usage of  movement and “swiftness” has since carried into his work, allowing it to flow from one end of the canvas to the other. Ultra-Running and Painting. Fields runs Ultramarathons several times each year and in August, 2019 completed the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) TDS, a 145-kilometer (90-mile) trail race in the Alps with 9,100-meters of elevation change. Fields says there is a connection between his running and his painting. I’m still figuring it out, but I think it’s the same thing: It’s about being patient with results. It’s about being consistent  to the devotion of the art—running is an art form; painting is an art form; your body is an art form; movement is an art form. These are all things that are both shared between the brush and the legs and the mind. Running is colorful; painting is colorful. Running is poetry; painting is poetry. I’ve found a really eloquent correlation between the two that’s kind of hard to describe almost, but it’s about movement. Personal. At the moment, Fields lives in Brooklyn, New York City. He still paints, and he is inspired by the energetic  and lively city which fuels his creativity. Exhibitions. Yatika Starr Fields has his artworks exhibited in these exhibitions. His resume lists the following: Honors and awards. In 2000, Yatika Starr Fields received the American Vision Award after he graduated from Stillwater High School. He took part in the Unexpected and the Fort Smith Symphony collaboration. Yatika Fields and students from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) painted what they envisioned when they heard an orchestral piece being played. Collections. Fields is represented by the Garth Greenen Gallery (NYC), Rain Maker Gallery (Bristol, UK) and Joseph Gierek Fine Art (Tulsa , OK). His work can be seen in: