Hold to this Earth: Works by Contemporary Indigenous North American Artists from Tia Collection

Headlining Yorkshire Sculpture Park‘s 2026 programme is Hold to this Earth, a major presentation of work by contemporary Indigenous American artists from Tia Collection.

Bringing together 64 works by 38 artists, including two significant new commissions, it is a landmark exhibition of contemporary Indigenous North American art on a scale never seen before in the UK.

The first group exhibition staged in the prestigious Underground Gallery in its twenty-year history, Hold to This Earth features sculpture, film, photography, painting, ceramics and fibre art highlighting the broad spectrum of work being produced by Indigenous North American artists today.

Hold to This Earth features the work of DC Allen, Neal Ambrose-Smith, Teresa Baker, Raven Chacon, Melissa Cody, Yatika Starr Fields, Nicholas Galanin, Jeffrey Gibson, Raven Halfmoon, Bob Haozous, Sheldon Harvey, Hock E Aye Vi Edgar Heap of Birds, Allan Houser, Zig Jackson, Sayo’:kla Kindness-Williams, Brad Kahlhamer, Sonya Kelliher-Combs, Matthew Kirk, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Dakota Mace, George Morrison, Michael Namingha, Virgil Ortiz, Mikayla Patton, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Wendy Red Star, Eric-Paul Riege, Cara Romero, Diego Romero, Rose B. Simpson, Roxanne Swentzell, Tyrrell Tapaha, Maggie Thompson, Zoë Urness, Kay WalkingStick, Marie Watt, Dyani White Hawk, and Emmi Whitehorse.

Representing over 35 Tribal Nations and multiple generations, the exhibition highlights both established voices and emerging artists who are shaping contemporary art today. They reference and honour ancestral knowledge whilst being steadfastly contemporary, asserting a powerful presence and countering narratives of erasure that too often position Indigenous cultures only in terms of the past. Materials such as clay, hide, wool, beads and natural pigments become carriers of powerful stories, memory and tradition, rooted in connection to the earth. Newer modes of expression and understanding growing out of digital culture also speak to the shifting landscapes of Indigenous life in the 21st century.

The unifying theme connecting their diverse practices is the deep, complex and enduring relationship between people and land. Set within 500-acres of historic parkland shaped by centuries of human and non-human activity, Yorkshire Sculpture Park is well placed to hold conversations about land, material, memory and community.

Access

The exhibition is located in the Underground Gallery and outdoors in the surrounding garden. The outdoor sculptures are accessed via a gravel path in front of the gallery and around the Bothy Garden. Off-road mobility scooters are available to hire free of charge, please contact info@ysp.org.uk to reserve one for your visit.

There are three gallery spaces within the Underground Gallery, with flat access throughout. The galleries are lit with both natural and artificial light. There is a small dark room inside Gallery two lit by three projections with moving images and audio played through speakers. Ear defenders are available to borrow if required.

Bench seating is available in the gallery concourse. Additional seating is available in The Studio, located at the far end of the gallery. There are no public toilet facilities in the Underground Gallery. The nearest toilets can be located in the Bothy Garden or Visitor Centre.

The following resources are available for this exhibition. If you would like to make use of any of them, just ask a member of YSP staff.

• Large Print interpretation
• Braille interpretation
• Coloured transparencies for reading
• Ear Defenders (these are also available at the YSP Information Desk)
• Timers

The artwork in this exhibition is too delicate to touch, so handling materials are available for visitors to feel and hold instead.