Clockwork

Sable Elyse Smith examines systems of power through sculpture, video, neon, and works on paper, tracing how they operate as hidden psychological and cultural infrastructure.

Why go

Smith's most robust institutional exhibition to date, featuring newly commissioned work alongside key series designed by the artist to bring distinct bodies of work into dialogue; the show travels to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York after its Austin debut.

What to expect

Sculpture, video, neon, and works on paper spanning five years, organized around themes of seriality, disorientation, and shifts in scale to reveal how systems of power are constructed and internalized.

Things to know

• 2026 recipient of the Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize.
• First solo exhibition in Texas.
• Co-curated by Alex Klein, Head Curator & Director of Curatorial Affairs, and Julie Le, Assistant Curator, The Contemporary Austin.
• Exhibition travels to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York in September 2026.
• Accompanying catalogue co-published by The Contemporary Austin, The FLAG Art Foundation, and Dancing Foxes Press, forthcoming early 2027.
• Artist born 1986 in Los Angeles; lives and works in New York.