Sterling Ruby’s big tease
London’s spring calendar flags Sterling Ruby’s ‘Atropa’ as one of the ten gallery shows to watch — Time Out lists it among the season’s most exciting exhibitions even though full details are still under wraps. Other spring highlights called out include Bruce Richards’ ‘Silent Sirens’ and immersive projects like the textile/performance show ‘Stillness in Art’ at Travancore Palace. (timeout.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Sterling Ruby’s Atropa was mounted at Sprüth Magers’ New York project space and ran from January 30 to March 28, 2026, timed to coincide with Master Drawings New York. (spruethmagers.com) The exhibition presented all-new work across media—large graphite drawings, small pen-and-ink studies, expressive watercolor collages and a new bronze series titled Bound Flower cast from specimens grown in Ruby’s studio garden. (spruethmagers.com) Atropa takes its name from the deadly nightshade genus and its mythic echo Atropos, a framing Ruby uses to probe toxicity and medicinal value while staging motifs of brittleness, memorialisation and arrested growth. (iconmagazineart.com) Critical coverage singled out the show’s two opposed registers: towering, palimpsestic graphite works (one example, SCHIZANTHUS LITORALIS, measures roughly 70 × 51½ inches) and metallic armatures that cradle decaying flowers as sculptural reliquaries. (brooklynrail.org) Bruce Richards’ Silent Sirens is a forty‑year survey on view at James Cohan, 52 Walker Street, from February 20 to April 4, 2026, with an opening reception listed for February 20 from 6–8 PM. (jamescohan.com) The textile/performance project reported as Stillness in Art at Travancore Palace was staged as a two‑day public showcase after a media preview on February 9, featuring Maneesha Sharma’s hand‑painted and embroidered sarees, music, and a Kathak performance by Mamta Maharaj inspired by poets such as Kabir and Tukaram. (contentmediasolution.com)
