SAN ANTONIO, TX.- Ruby City announced the opening of its newest exhibition, Irrationally Speaking: Collage & Assemblage in Contemporary Art which will open to the public on Saturday, September 21, 2024, and be on view through August 31, 2025.

Irrationally Speaking highlights two art forms—collage and assemblage—as artistic techniques and conceptual approaches. With the simple act of placing two or more distinct images or objects together (sometimes jarringly so) artists can create a complex whole to address a multiplicity of meanings.

Combined wood fragments, cut-and-pasted paper, seamless digital and photo-based prints comprised of disparate pictures, bronze sculptures created from discarded shoes, and contrasting clothing articles put together —these are some of the ways that contemporary artists harness a myriad of materials and methods to craft the art in this presentation. Although they may appear to be composed of “irrational” or illogical combinations, making them appear surreal or abstract, the works are formal and material experimentations as well as personal and cultural explorations. Irrationally Speaking demonstrates the alluring appeal of these art forms and their ability to elucidate the complexity of artistic expression, history, place, and contemporary life.

Irrationally Speaking includes works by Leonardo Drew, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Arturo Herrera, Thomas Hirschhorn, Ken Little, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu, Lorraine O’Grady, Jon Pylypchuk, Deborah Roberts, Martha Rosler, and Nancy Spero, among others.

Ruby City will celebrate the new exhibition with a walkthrough on Saturday, September 21st at 2pm led by Director, Elyse A. Gonzales, followed by a reception from 3-5pm in the Sculpture Garden with music and refreshments. Beverage sponsors for the event are Lalo Tequila and Idle Beer. The event will be free and open to the public.

Ruby City is a contemporary art center in San Antonio, TX, dedicated to providing a space for the city’s thriving creative community to experience works by both local and internationally acclaimed artists. Envisioned in 2007 by the late collector, philanthropist and artist Linda Pace, Ruby City presents works from the Linda Pace Foundation Collection of more than 1400 paintings, sculptures, installations and video works. The building which opened in 2019 is designed by Adjaye Associates and is part of a campus, which also includes a sculpture garden, Chris Park, a one-acre public green space named in memory of Pace’s son, and Studio, an auxiliary exhibition space which presents curated shows and programming throughout the year.

Ruby City is open Thursday through Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Admission is always free.