Re-Figurations: Sculpture Month Houston 2025

• Sat, Oct 4, 2025 - Sat, Nov 22, 2025  9am - 5pm On view
• Saturday, Oct 4, 2025  6pm - 9pm Opening Reception

Sculpture Month Houston’s ninth annual exhibition, Re-Figurations, at Site Gallery (at The Silos at
Sawyer Yards) explores the radical transformations in the representation of the human figure that began with Modernism.

Cubism radically redefined figurative concepts. "Picasso reinvented anatomy," lamented a mid-century MoMA curator. The deconstruction, fragmentation, and subsequent reconstruction of the human form became an emblem of a world in upheaval, symbolizing existential insecurity and the modern condition itself.

The seventeen artists in this exhibition present a wide range of installations that investigate new approaches to the figure, often pushing the outer limits of re-figurations. They are trying to formulate visual metaphors for the pressing issues of our time. The digital revolution and its powerful tools have expanded artistic possibilities and broadened the exploration of new subjects.

Re-Figurations continues the theme of the 2023 Sculpture Month Houston exhibition, The Fragmented Figure, while expanding toward classically based concepts adapted for contemporary contexts. These include the kinetic transformation of static forms and Surrealist interpretations of the human figure. Multimedia based works give the human figure a cinematic kind of scope and encourage interaction with the viewer.

The earliest known artwork, the 40,000-year-old Lion-Man figurine from southern Germany, depicts a creature with a human body and a lion’s head. This re-figured human form marks the beginning of humanity’s long tradition of visionary imagery: chimera, cyborgs, bio-robots, and other avatars of our imagination.

One of today’s most consequential developments is the rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence and the biosciences in reshaping social norms and even human evolution. Along with the excitement over their fabulous promises, there is growing unease about the implications if one considers the manipulation of the human genome or new human-machine interfaces. The convenience of AI services such as ChatGPT or Grok masks a Faustian bargain: as we outsource cognitive, emotional, and creative functions, we risk becoming true chimeras — hybrids of human and machine.

The participating artists include:
Victor Calise Blanchard, Elizabeth Chapin, Celia Eberle, Dave Greber, Clara Hoag, Iva Kinnaird, Dion
Laurent, Tala Madani, Jack Massing, Patrick Medrano, McKay Otto, Jonathan Read, Patrick Renner, Chris
Sauter, James Sullivan, Kamila Szczesna, Nestor Topchy