Yatika Starr Fields

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. In his graffiti pieces, he 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.

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. The project gained "$166 billion of economic activity" which helped 4.6 million jobs as a result.

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.