Figure/Ground

Sep. 14, 2024 to

Jan. 12, 2025

Featuring works from the museum’s collection, Figure/Ground examines the interconnection between individuals and their environments, offering a multifaceted view of the human experience in relation to the spaces we inhabit. The varied scenes, from urban landscapes to pastoral countrysides, invite narrative and prompt reflection on the ways we relate to our own environments.

“Nothing can become intelligible unless seen against a background, a horizon, a surrounding ﬁeld, a periphery. A ﬁgure without limits is unthinkable.” ― Jan Bouman, The Figure–Ground Phenomenon in Experimental and Phenomenological Psychology

In psychological theories of perception, the figure-ground relationship describes how we make sense of visual information by distinguishing between forms and their background. The famous Rubin vase illusion, in which you see either two faces in profile or a vase, demonstrates how figure and ground are mutually constituted: our recognition of one relies on the other. This exhibition, featuring works from the Addison’s collection, explores the connection between individuals and their environments, illustrating how human experience is shaped by the spaces we inhabit.

The works in this gallery depict people navigating, contemplating, and engaging with their surroundings, whether urban or pastoral. Some figures seem at ease within their settings, while others appear constrained by or disconnected from them. Some figures find harmony within nature, while others struggle against it. These varied scenes invite narrative and prompt reflection on the ways we relate to our own environments.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Mollie Bennett Lupe and Garland M. Lasater Exhibition Fund.