ARTIFACTS FROM AN UNBORN EMPIRE to Open at Brand Library

Artifacts from an Unborn Empire brings together twenty-three contemporary artists whose works examine how civilizations are imagined, constructed, documented, and remembered. Through installation, sculpture, photography, textile, video, archival materials, and mixed-media practices, the exhibition considers the forces that shape collective identity and asks who has the authority to define history, culture, and belonging.

Taking place during the 250th anniversary of the United States, the exhibition reflects on the life cycles of nations and empires while looking beyond established narratives toward alternative possibilities and artists' revisions.

The participating artists investigate the systems, symbols, myths, and material methods that societies use to understand themselves. Their works approach these questions through both critical and poetic lenses, exploring themes of colonialism, memory, inheritance, labor, migrations, language, and cultural mythmaking.

Created specifically for Brand Library & Art Center, the exhibition engages directly with the library as both a repository of knowledge and a living civic space. The project considers the evolving role of cultural institutions in shaping collective memory and facilitating the exchange of ideas. As contemporary methods of storing, organizing, and accessing information continue to transform, Artifacts from an Unborn Empire invites reflection on how histories are preserved, transmitted, and reimagined across generations.

Central to the exhibition is an expansive approach to materiality. Industrial materials such as brick, clay, glass, and metal appear alongside books, journals, documents, photographs, letters, mementos, and other forms of everyday ephemera. Through processes of collecting, archiving, assembling, and transforming, the artists reveal how material culture functions as both evidence and invention, displaying lived experiences while generating new narratives.

Rather than presenting a singular vision of what constitutes a civilization, Artifacts from an Unborn Empire offers a constellation of unique perspectives that challenge familiar assumptions about power, progress, and permanence. The exhibition ultimately asks viewers to consider the foundations upon which societies are built, whom those structures benefit, what remains behind from the originators, and what may emerge in the future as culture constantly changes.

Artifacts from an Unborn Empire

Curated by Jason Jenn and Vojislav Radovanović

Featuring: Aprille Elizabeth Curtis, Ben Cuevas, Cheyann Washington, Elana Mann, Ellen Jong, Francis Robateau, Gina Herrera, Greg Day, Hugo Heredia Barrera, Jason Jenn, Jason Trucco, Jotham Hung, Kayla Tange, Kristine Schomaker, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, Nancy Kay Turner, Reyah, Robert Patrick, Rosalyn Myles, Rubén Esparza, Tony Isaja, and Vojislav Radovanović

Exhibition Dates: September 26 - December 31, 2026

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Curator/Artist Walkthrough and Artist-led Workshop: Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM