In Western art, the relationship between figure and ground has long informed creative practices. Through techniques like illusionism, abstraction, multiple perspectives, and disruptions of the flat picture plane, artists have manipulated composition, depth, and perception to distinguish between forms and their background—while also showing how deeply the two are connected.

Figure/Ground: New Criteria is inspired by cultural historian Sarah Lewis’s concept of “groundwork aesthetics,” exploring figure-ground relationships as they relate to social tension. It builds on Lewis’ work, which in the context of the expansion of Stand Your Ground laws across the United States since 2005, describes a range of artistic interventions that reimagine “the literal and figurative meaning of ground.” Featuring works from the Henry collection created in the past 30 years, Figure/Ground reflects a period in which hard-won civil rights and claims to self-determination have been eroded across the U.S., disproportionately affecting Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities.

How might art respond when the conditions supporting artistic expression—its very ground—are under threat? Directly or more obliquely, these works—from intimate to monumental—engage with the conditions that shape creative freedom. Together, they emerge against the racialized and political forces that continue to transform the conceptual and literal ground of contemporary art.

Learn more about the Henry’s collections here.