IMAGE: Laura Lit, Big Drip, 2026. Pal Tiya clay, steel, styrofoam, foam board, and acrylic paint. 85 x 62 x 107 inches. Commissioned by The Contemporary Austin. Installation view, HOST: Laura Lit, The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria, Texas, 2026. Artwork © Laura Lit. Courtesy the artist. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Alex Boeschenstein.
Exhibition
HOST: Laura Lit
April 23, 2026 – January 17, 2027
HOST: Laura Lit, the first solo museum exhibition and debut outdoor installation by the Austin-based artist, extends the program outdoors to the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria (April 23, 2026 – January 17, 2027). Known for her vivid, polymorphous forms that hover between the phantasmic and the corporeal, Laura Lit (b. 1979, Dallas) draws on a multidisciplinary background encompassing figurative painting, special-effects makeup, architectural restoration, and medical prosthetics.
Lit will present her Impossible Beings, a constellation of newly commissioned outdoor sculptures sited around Laguna Gloria’s Driscoll Villa. The installation embraces the notion of an infinite pathway, an essential part of the visualization process the artist uses to procure her “beings” and bring them into form. Fabricated from wood, Styrofoam, cardboard, Pal Tiya clay, resin, and paint, Lit’s sculptures emerge as tactile presences, inviting viewers into a world shaped by the artist’s expansive engagement with material and form.
As part of the fall 2026 exhibition program, the presentation will expand to the Jones Center (September 18, 2026 - January 17, 2027), where a suite of Lit’s drawings will be on view. These intensive colored pencil drawings represent the initial step in her process of pulling enigmatic thought-forms from her subconscious into reality. Together, the two presentations of HOST: Laura Lit bring into focus the artist’s diverse material and creative practice, highlighting the dialogue between drawing and sculpture in her practice.
HOST: Laura Lit is curated by Julie Le, Assistant Curator, and Rachel Eboh, Curatorial Assistant, The Contemporary Austin.
Exhibition dates
Laguna Gloria: April 23, 2026 – January 17, 2027
Jones Center: September 18, 2026 - January 17, 2027
About the artist
Laura Lit (b. 1979, Dallas, Texas; lives and works in Austin, Texas) received a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design (2001), and a degree in Special Effects Makeup for Film & Television from the Vancouver Film School (2008). Her education, alongside training in anaplastology and experience in art and architectural restoration, informs the wide range of materials and fabrication methods she employs in her practice.
Initially recognized for her hyperrealistic figurative paintings, Lit’s work took a major shift in 2020 to abstract drawing and sculpture. Often beginning with intimate drawings or small maquettes, Lit then translates her visions into large three-dimensional forms, using wood, foam, paperclay, concrete clay, paint, resin, and other materials. This varied approach to her work allows her to merge her diverse strengths and interests into a distinctive, ethereal, and continually evolving body of work.
Lit’s past solo shows include Women & Their Work, Austin, TX (2017); Northern-Southern, Austin, TX (2023, 2021, 2020), among others. Her work has also been featured in two-person and group exhibitions at Megan Mulrooney, Los Angeles, CA (2025); Southway Studio, Marseilles, France (2024); Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX (2023); and Northern-Southern, Austin, TX (2018).
Portrait of Laura Lit. Image courtesy the artist. Photograph by Noah Lit.
About HOST
HOST is an exhibition space and program series that amplifies The Contemporary Austin’s commitment to centering artists and welcoming publics. With each exhibition cycle, an artist will create a newly commissioned environment in the HOST gallery space at The Jones Center. Programming will accompany each work. Throughout the run of each exhibition, artists will invite visitors into their worlds.
Acknowledgements
The Contemporary Austin’s Exhibition Program is supported in part by Malú Alvarez, Christopher and Adrienne Bosh, The Suzanne Deal Booth Curatorial Fund, Debbie Dupré and Richard Rothberg, The Irvin Loughlin Family Curatorial Fund, Chris Mattsson, The Lora Reynolds and Colin Doyle Curatorial Fund, Zarmeena Vendal, and anonymous donors. Exhibitions and programming are also made possible by Still Water Foundation.
Additional support for The Contemporary Austin is provided by the generosity of its Board of Trustees, Members, and donors.
Press Release
"New work by Austin-based artist Laura Lit debuts at Laguna Gloria" Press Release
"The Contemporary Austin Announces 2026 Programming" Press Release
Related Events
Member Preview HOST: Laura Lit
Be among the first to experience HOST: Laura Lit, with a special preview just for Members!
Public Opening HOST: Laura Lit
Come celebrate the opening of HOST: Laura Lit, the first solo museum exhibition and debut outdoor installation by the Austin-based artist.
Second Saturdays Are for Families Creature Concepts with Laura Lit
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… What is it? Join guest artist Laura Lit to learn the ends and outs of sculpture and create your own abstract 3D creatures. Don’t miss her new larger-than-life sculptures on the grounds of Laguna Gloria!
Artist & Curator Sculpture Walk Exploring HOST: Laura Lit
Hear directly from the artist and curators about the pieces on view. Enjoy complimentary drinks and experience the sculptures up close and in an intimate, conversational setting.