Backscatter brings together artworks that serve as transmissions of largely ineffable, perhaps transcendental, experiences that occur during moments of stillness, observation, and introspection. They embody the effects of not just noticing, but reveling in, fleeting glimmers of light that have travelled from inconceivably distant realms to flicker at the threshold of our consciousness; and of listening attentively to the ancestral murmurs and revelations that may awaken within us while we are quietly captivated by the dazzle.

The works in Backscatter lead us to contemplate larger themes of mortality, equilibrium, and the blurred edges of the “self” by interweaving spectacular processes of natural and chemical changes of forms in with speculative images of fluidity and otherworldliness.

Throughout the exhibition, themes of fragmentation, disintegration, patina, and crystallization recur. Ephemeral site-specific installations, by Joetta Maue and Katherine Mitchell DiRico, document and harness visual light phenomena as methods to explore time and perception. Funlola Coker, Jesse Kaminsky, Leah Piepgras, and Esther Solondz create sculptures that engage in various transmutations: of culture, memory, materials, and the human body. Joetta Maue’s drawings remind us of the humble and precarious nature of our daily existence. She meticulously renders images of cosmic dust, and floor sweepings, alternately, with ink on black paper.  

Each piece in the show emerges from a practice steeped in time, presence, and a curiosity about unnoticed or transitory occurrences. 

In a time of overstimulation, and existential overwhelm, Backscatter invites viewers into moments of quiet wonder and introspection, offering opportunities to recalibrate and make space for awe and connection.