Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography

A color photo of a green road sign that says "Indian River" with the word "LAND" spray painted in red over "River."
October 30, 2022–January 22, 2023
Second floor

Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography highlights the dynamic ways that Indigenous artists have leveraged their lenses over the past three decades to reclaim representation and affirm their existence, perspectives, and trauma. The exhibition, organized by the Carter, is one of the first major museum surveys to explore this important transition, featuring works by more than 30 Indigenous artists. Through approximately 70 photographs, videos, three-dimensional works, and digital activations, the exhibition forges a mosaic investigation into identity, resistance, and belonging.


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Artists featured in Speaking with Light include Jeremy Dennis, Nicholas Galanin, Sky Hopinka, Zig Jackson, Kapulani Landgraf, Dylan McLaughlin, Alan Michelson, Shelley Niro, Jolene Rickard, Wendy Red Star, Cara Romero, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, and a new commission by Sarah Sense.

Installation Photos

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Speaking with Light: Contemporary Indigenous Photography is organized by the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. The exhibition is co-curated by John Rohrbach, Senior Curator of Photographs, and Will Wilson, Photography Program Head at Santa Fe Community College and a citizen of the Navajo Nation. Major support for the exhibition is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Additional support is generously provided by Debra and Ken Hamlett, The Kerlee-Wollenberg Family Fund, and Ann and Russell Morton.

The accompanying publication is supported in part by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation.