AUG 29, 2026 – AUG 2028

The Bass Museum of Art announces Gabriel Rico: IX Mural from the series–Reducción objetiva orquestada on view from August 29, 2026, through August 2028.

Gabriel Rico is a Mexican artist who specializes in creating sculptural installations using both natural and industrial cast-off objects that hold a social significance. His unique approach to using objects as media neutralizes their function and encourages the viewer’s personal interpretations of the kitschy arrangement. Through combining unexpected objects, Rico highlights the inherent qualities of the materials and transforms familiar items into something new.

Through IX Mural from the series–Reducción objetiva orquestada, a title that roughly translates to “Orchestrated Object Reduction,” Rico formulates an equation, contrasting the order of geometry with the improvisational spirit of the seemingly random materials. He begins by taking inspiration from an algebraic equation and substitutes symbols for objects. By adopting this recognizable formula, he brings order to chaos, mirroring a fundamental pursuit of balance. The viewer is prompted to “read” the artwork from left to right, constructing meaning through their associations with the objects across the wall.

As a trained architect, Rico prompts the viewer to contemplate the relationship between humans and our surroundings, both our built and organic environments. He takes advantage of the blank slate of the museum to override the context of objects. His assemblages integrate satire and prose, incorporating his observations of human experience and his affection for animals. The fusion of human and non-human experience is an essential pillar of his practice, inviting the viewer to consider how human-centered ideas are imbued onto each object. Through this, he forges novel narratives that comment on the interrelation of nature, constructs, and human legacy.

Rico finds that our current way of life reflects a lack of understanding of our surroundings. He suggests that every being is the center of its own reality, invalidating that humans are by default the center of the entirety of the world. By employing asymmetry in his compositions, the artist aims to spur reflection on our cultural and political flaws.

The mural itself is a multifaceted composition of our current circumstances of uncertainty. Rico longs to make visible both a universal shared history and a cumulative imagination, encouraging the viewer to reflect on their relationship to things, ideas, and others. The beauty of Rico’s work lies in the details, relatable objects that are symbols of our collective, global concerns.