Installation view. Displacement. June 27 – December 8, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.

Maya Watanabe. Zhùr, 2024. Single channel video installation. 18 minutes. Courtesy of the artist, Tegenboschvanvreden, and 80m2 Livia Benavides.

Nyugen E. Smith. Bundle House Rise up and Walk I, 2022. Found wood, fabric, canvas, fur, metal, wire, bells, acrylic, rubber, shoes, nails, ceramic, leather, plastic, oil pastel, oil stick, graphite, net, cork, sequins, and beads. 80 x 30 x 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist and John Michael Kohler Art Center.

Ellie Schmidt. SANDCASTLES, 2020. Video, sound. 15:05 minutes. Courtesy of the artist.

Sandra M. Sawatzky. The Black Gold Tapestry, 2008-2017. Silk and wool threads on flax linen cloth. 219.8 feet. Courtesy of the artist.

Installation view. Displacement. June 27 – December 8, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.

Katie Paterson. To Burn, Forest, Fire, 2021 (Originally commissioned by IHME Helsinki). Bespoke incense sticks. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Veikko Somerpuro.

LOT-EK. S5 (from SPILL, 1 to 29), 2023. Steel, paint, wood. 18” x 67” x 73”. Courtesy of the artists and Hosfelt Gallery. Photo: Mel Taing.

Imani Jacqueline Brown. What remains at the ends of the earth?, 2022. Dimensions variable. Installation view, MassArt Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Melissa Ostrow.

Akea Brionne. Begin Again: Land of Enchantment, 2024. Jacquard, poly-fil, thread, glitter, rhinestones, sand. 60 x 96 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Library Street Collective. Photo: Mel Taing.

Installation view. Displacement. June 27 – December 8, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.

Justin Brice. WE ARE THE ASTEROID II installation view, 2024. Text, sandblasted solar-powered LED message board. Courtesy of the artist.

Displacement On View

June 27–December 8, 2024

Installation view. Displacement. June 27 – December 8, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.

Maya Watanabe. Zhùr, 2024. Single channel video installation. 18 minutes. Courtesy of the artist, Tegenboschvanvreden, and 80m2 Livia Benavides.

Ellie Schmidt. SANDCASTLES, 2020. Video, sound. 15:05 minutes. Courtesy of the artist.

Sandra M. Sawatzky. The Black Gold Tapestry, 2008-2017. Silk and wool threads on flax linen cloth. 219.8 feet. Courtesy of the artist.

Installation view. Displacement. June 27 – December 8, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.

Katie Paterson. To Burn, Forest, Fire, 2021 (Originally commissioned by IHME Helsinki). Bespoke incense sticks. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Veikko Somerpuro.

LOT-EK. S5 (from SPILL, 1 to 29), 2023. Steel, paint, wood. 18” x 67” x 73”. Courtesy of the artists and Hosfelt Gallery. Photo: Mel Taing.

Imani Jacqueline Brown. What remains at the ends of the earth?, 2022. Dimensions variable. Installation view, MassArt Art Museum, 2024. Photo: Melissa Ostrow.

Akea Brionne. Begin Again: Land of Enchantment, 2024. Jacquard, poly-fil, thread, glitter, rhinestones, sand. 60 x 96 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Library Street Collective. Photo: Mel Taing.

Installation view. Displacement. June 27 – December 8, 2024. MassArt Art Museum, Boston. Photo: Mel Taing.

Justin Brice. WE ARE THE ASTEROID II installation view, 2024. Text, sandblasted solar-powered LED message board. Courtesy of the artist.

Displacement, an exhibition of works by contemporary artists, explores the relationship between humans and their environments. Through textiles, sculptures, film, and scents, this exhibition examines human-driven alterations to the sea, land, and air, and the ways in which those systems are responding.

By investigating the historic and current relationship between industrial civilization and the natural world, a range of issues are called into the frame, including migration, adaptation, and extinction. The visual languages of the artists in Displacement offer a lens through which the arc of human-environmental dynamics can be assessed and reconsidered.

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