HOUSTON, TX.- Through a framing of North, Central, and South America as interconnected regions, Radiant Geometries: Vectors of Knowledge from the Indigenous Americas brings together contemporary Indigenous and Latin American artists whose practices illuminate knowledge as a living technology, through which the mathematical, metaphysical, and artistic realms converge. At a moment when the social and environmental consequences of technological advancement are prompting global debate, this selection of works—among them paintings, sculptures, textiles, video works, and site-specific commissions—conveys relational teachings rooted in the Americas. The exhibition features national and international artists, including Nanibah Chacon, Melissa Cody, Jordan Ann Craig, Patricia Domínguez, Sara Flores, Natalia Montoya Lecaros, Patrick Martinez, Cisco Merel, Caroline Monnet, and Eamon Ore-Giron, among others.

“At its core, Radiant Geometries centers Indigenous ways of knowing that continue to shape relationships to territories, waterways, and interspecies care,” said Noor Alé, Moody Center for the Arts Associate Curator. “By reconsidering the histories of mathematics, architecture, and science through Indigenous perspectives, the exhibition invites viewers to consider the enduring connections between cosmology, technology, and the living world.”

Set on the campus of a leading research university, the Moody’s presentation includes artists whose works evoke the symbiotic relationship between art, math, technology, and science, often through the language of abstraction. Among them, Sara Flores’s paintings foreground the interdependence of all life forms and call attention to interspecies care; Patrick Martinez’s painted sculpture, inspired by the pre-Columbian murals of Cacaxtla, positions Indigenous architecture as sites of material knowledge and urban intelligence; Natalia Montoya Lecaros’s totemic sculptures draw on an Aymara ceremonial dance that honors agricultural cycles; Caroline Monnet’s Styrofoam installation etched with Anishinaabe iconography, reconsiders colonial legacies in architecture; Patricia Domínguez’s videos explore astronomy and plant intelligence to bridge spiritual and scientific divides; Cisco Merel’s totemic work references protective sigils found in Guna textile traditions; and Melissa Cody’s jacquard tapestry fuses Navajo textile traditions with computational aesthetics.





In addition, newly commissioned works extend the visibility of knowledge as an evolving technology, illuminating its transmission across generations while continuously responding to the future. These works include an interactive sound installation with Diné designs from Nanibah Chacon; installation and paintings by Jordan Ann Craig that explore Cheyenne beadwork and parfleche designs drawn from museum collections in Texas and Colorado; and new paintings from Eamon Ore-Giron inspired by Maya ceramics in Rice University’s collection.

“Through this compelling selection of works and complementary programming, we’re able to achieve the Moody’s mission to synthesize Rice's academic resources and artists' creative insight into meaningful connections and critical dialogue,” said Joel Thompson, Moody Center for the Arts Deputy Director.

Featured artists include Nanibah Chacon (Diné/Chicana) (b. 1980 in Gallup, New Mexico; lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico), Melissa Cody (Navajo/Diné) (b. 1983 in No Water Mesa, Arizona; lives in Long Beach, California), Jordan Ann Craig (Northern Cheyenne) (b. 1992 in San Jose, California; lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico), Patricia Domínguez (b. 1984 in Santiago de Chile; lives in Puchuncaví, Chile), Sara Flores (Shipibo-Konibo) (b. 1950 in Tambomayo, Peru; lives in Yarinacocha, Peru), Natalia Montoya Lecaros (Aymara) (b. 1994 in Iquique, Chile; lives in Santiago de Chile), Patrick Martinez (b. 1980 in Pasadena, California; lives in Los Angeles), Cisco Merel (b. 1981 in Panama City; lives in Panama City), Caroline Monnet (Anishinaabe/French) (b. 1985 in Ottawa, Canada; lives in Montreal), and Eamon Ore-Giron (b. 1973 in Tucson, Arizona; lives in Los Angeles), among others.

The exhibition is curated by Noor Alé, Associate Curator. Graphic design is by Sébastien Aubin.