Sable Elyse Smith on Legibility, Power, and Her Solo Show Clockwork
Sable Elyse Smith has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize. In a recent interview with Samaira Wilson, she discussed her forthcoming solo exhibition, "Clockwork," set to run at The Contemporary Austin from March 6 to August 2, 2026. This showcase will include her thought-provoking piece, "A Clockwork" (2021), a kinetic Ferris wheel made from materials sourced from prison waiting areas, which first appeared at the 2022 Whitney Biennial. The exhibit will later move to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York from September 24, 2026, to February 13, 2027, highlighting crucial themes of power and visibility.
Key facts
- Sable Elyse Smith is the 2026 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize recipient.
- Clockwork opened at The Contemporary Austin on March 6, 2026, and runs through August 2, 2026.
- The exhibition travels to The FLAG Art Foundation in New York from September 24, 2026, to February 13, 2027.
- A Clockwork (2021) is Smith's largest sculpture, a kinetic Ferris wheel made from prison waiting room furniture.
- A Clockwork was first presented in the Whitney Biennial 2022.
- Smith's neon works translate text into sculptural forms using commercial design aesthetics.
- Her Coloring Book paintings recontextualize pages from a found children's coloring book to critique justice and educational systems.
- Video works incorporate footage from reality TV shows like Cops to explore televised entertainment's shaping of perception.
Entities
Artists
- Sable Elyse Smith
- Samaira Wilson
Institutions
- The Contemporary Austin
- FLAG Art Foundation
- Whitney Biennial
Locations
- Austin
- Texas
- New York