Sterling Ruby's Political Abstraction at Vienna's Winter Palace

Sterling Ruby's solo exhibition at the Winter Palace in Vienna, curated by Mario Codognato, presents a politically charged yet restrained body of work. The show juxtaposes Ruby's abstract pieces—such as the Soft Works series (Candles, Figures, 2014–16) and the MS Series (2010)—with the opulent Baroque interiors of the palace. Ruby's work references American imperialism, as seen in the Deep Flag and Flag series (2016), and echoes Italian artists like Pino Pascali and Leoncillo. The exhibition also includes Ai Weiwei's project on refugees, creating a dialogue on contemporary crises. Ruby, once associated with California's underground subcultures, now presents a more mature, cleanly installed show that navigates between abstraction and figuration, politics and formalism. The exhibition runs until October 16, 2016.