Nature Never Loses surveys six decades of the prescient, genre-defying work of artist Carl Cheng (b. 1942, San Francisco; lives and works in Santa Monica). Having studied both fine art and industrial design, Cheng first developed his art practice in Southern California in the 1960s, amid political unrest, an interdisciplinary art scene, a booming post-war aerospace industry, and rapid development of the landscape. His ever-evolving body of work, incorporating a variety of materials and media, engages with environmental change, the relevance of art institutions to their publics, and the role of technology in society—topics with urgent contemporary relevance.
Ten years ago, when Katarina Janečková Walshe moved from her hometown of Bratislava, Slovakia to Corpus Christi, Texas, she was prompted to examine how those aspects of experience manifest in American and Texan culture. In this installation, titled Mother Land, the artist extends her inquiry to contemplate the transformative potential that applying a mother’s love and care universally might unleash.
Mariposa Relámpago is the artist’s largest sculpture to date and is part of the artist’s Disease Throwers series—sculptures that incorporate natural materials, handmade objects, and items collected by the artist while retracing his migratory route to become shrines and healing instruments.
The Contemporary Austin will showcase a mural by artist Manik Raj Nakra on the Jones Center’s downtown building on 7th and Congress.
The Contemporary Austin unveils a new outdoor installation by artist Jim Hodges for The Moody Rooftop at the Jones Center.
The Contemporary Austin’s Museum Without Walls program brings art beyond the walls of the museum and out into the community in new ways and in diverse venues.
The Contemporary Austin’s Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria is named in honor of a founding grant by the Edward and Betty Marcus Foundation. This contemporary art destination presents exhibitions and permanent outdoor art installations on a site of great natural beauty on Lake Austin.
Lubaina Himid (b. 1954, Zanzibar; lives and works in Preston, UK) is the recipient of the 2024 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize, which is envisioned as a transformative award for the artist and the community in Austin. Over a four decades-long career, Himid has explored and expanded the possibilities of painting and storytelling to depict contemporary everyday life and to fill in gaps within art history through the depiction and centering of Black figures and experience.
This exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of Fusebox. The brainchild of a group of young artist-friends living in Austin in 2005, Fusebox has evolved to become not only a cornerstone for the arts in Austin but also a major presenter of live and interdisciplinary art worldwide. HOST: Fusebox presents a sampling of works by current and former Fusebox artists as an immersive gallery display.
This Land is a group exhibition about landscape: how it records the social and environmental effects of colonialism and capitalism.