Kiyan Williams: Vertigo

In their practice, Kiyan Williams splits, cuts, twists, and tilts monumental forms, creating earthen ruins appearing in various states of suspended entropy. The exhibition Vertigo brings together new and recent work that sets the stage for a world thrown off balance. The titular sculpture Vertigo (2024) reconfigures three neoclassical columns, collapsing the towering forms that evoke power and dominance. Removed from their function as structural support for government buildings, the columns stand off-axis and yet on balance, as if toppled over during an extreme (weather) event.

Williams considers their public art works as collaborations with human and non-human forces that transform subtly within their environments. The sculptures' textured surface shifts in hue as a response to rain and heat; the tactile works are sensitive and responsive to the “touch” of elements. Set against a luscious landscape, the works evoke an archeological site from a speculative future where monumental forms and structures of power are remade and reclaimed by an entanglement of fugitive plant, insect, animal, human, and non-human life.

This exhibition is curated by Sara O’Keeffe, Senior Curator, with Guy Weltchek, Curatorial Assistant.