Sandy Skoglund captures eternal clash of culture and natural world in 'Enchanting Nature'

Installation view of “Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature” at McNay Art Museum. Photo by Jacklyn Velez.

SAN ANTONIO, TX.— Bright orange ceramic goldfish swimming in a turquoise bedroom, neon green cats swarming a mundane kitchen and plush dancing trees welcome visitors into artificial wonderlands in “Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature,” open through Feb. 1, 2026 at the McNay Art Museum. Showcasing the breadth of Skoglund’s artistic practice as a sculptor, installation artist and photographer, the exhibition merges visually striking photographic imagery and gallery architecture, offering an entirely new way to experience her art.

Skoglund (American, b. 1946) creates tableaux constructed with unconventional materials that she then photographs, incorporating live models in scenes filled with fabricated objects or sculptured animals. The exhibition invites viewers to wander through the artist’s most famous installations. Intricate details often missed in traditional prints come into focus in the debut of monumental wallpaper enlargements of Skoglund’s artworks. The unique backdrop reveals how the artist manipulates materials to achieve a range of visual effects.

“The McNay Art Museum has been connected with Sandy Skoglund for more than two decades, and visitors often identify her artworks as some of their favorites from our collection,” said Matthew McLendon, Ph.D., director and CEO of the McNay. “We look forward to sharing this latest collaboration with our community, featuring boundary-breaking art from throughout Sandy’s career as well as never-before-exhibited works. We hope ‘Enchanting Nature’ inspires renewed perspectives as visitors consider their own place and impact within the natural world.”

The exhibition is anchored by three distinct room-size environments, debuting the never-before-exhibited “Fresh Hybrid” (2008), an installation that encourages the viewer to observe everyday life with fresh eyes. Sprouts of pipe cleaners replace blades of grass and chenille Easter chicks supplant the leaves on branches. Skoglund’s trees have been uprooted, exposing legs that appear to dance or run away in response to a strolling family of felt figures. The overlapping plush surfaces hint at the blurred boundaries between living and synthetic worlds.

Two other pivotal installations — “Radioactive Cats” (1980) and “Revenge of the Goldfish” (1981) — are considered among the most defining images of the staged photography movement of the 1980s and 1990s. “Radioactive Cats” depicts a horde of green street cats invading the kitchen of a New York tenement apartment. The title invites a comparison to the dogs and wolves who were abandoned after the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl and now survive as evolved creatures in their new environment. Hand-crafted goldfish appear to swim through the air as they take over a bedroom in “Revenge of the Goldfish.” Popular pets, the creatures are often cared for improperly or released into the wild, where they multiply and adapt to their new environments. The installation demonstrates the triumph of small, beautiful things by their sheer numbers.

Skoglund emphasizes the resilience of nature as the big idea behind all three installations, featuring scenes centered on the conflict between human culture and the natural environment and the sometimes-unnatural life-forms that emerge as nature strives to continue. “The cats, the fish, the trees – are all survivors,” said Skoglund.

The exhibition also includes Skoglund’s new series, “The Outtakes,” offering a fresh look at past works originally dismissed as mistakes. During a COVID-19 cleaning spree, the artist discovered forgotten Kodak film boxes filled with images she once considered failures. Viewing the photographs for the first time in decades inspired Skoglund to rethink “the path not taken, whether in life or art.” The series revisits alternate shots from past photoshoots, inviting renewed appreciation of her intricately crafted, dreamlike scenes.

“Sandy Skoglund’s unparalleled vision and collaborative spirit is undeniable,” said René Paul Barilleaux, the McNay’s head of curatorial affairs. “Using saturated colors and powerful compositions, she creates environments that are strange and surprising yet hauntingly familiar. ‘Enchanting Nature’ highlights the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world through vibrant, suspenseful imagery.”

Complementing the exhibition is a wallpaper installation in the McNay’s AT&T Lobby, featuring imagery drawn from Skoglund’s iconic photograph “Revenge of the Goldfish.” The Lobby installation remains on view through Sept. 13, 2026.

“Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature” will be accompanied by a 64-page full color publication of the same name, published by Damiani Books in collaboration with McNay Art Museum and Paci Contemporary Gallery. The book includes an interview with Skoglund by Laura van Straaten, a contributing editor and writer for many leading art publications and sites, as well as photographs of the artist’s wallpaper hung on the McNay’s gallery walls. The book launch event will take place on Nov. 12 at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City, featuring a conversation with Skoglund, van Straaten and Barilleaux.

“Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature” is organized by René Paul Barilleaux, the McNay’s head of curatorial affairs, with Sandy Skoglund. Presenting Sponsorship is most generously provided by Bank of America. Lead funding is provided by the Arthur and Jane Stieren Fund for Exhibitions; and Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992.