In her second major US show, Dutch-born, London-based artist Magali Reus presents an installation that examines the relationships between people and objects through the distortion of common images.

Magali Reus reimagines commonly found objects such as “No Parking” signs or dehumidifiers to take on new lives. Reus describes this act of an object’s physical transformation as “destabilizing and emancipatory,” one that allows it to perform a different function than the one people normally associate it with. These objects and their new functions reflect the disjointed character of contemporary life, where digital production and consumption makes our interactions with objects a more isolated and alienated process.

For the Nasher Sculpture Center’s Sightings series of smaller-scale exhibitions or installations that highlight the work of emerging or established artists, Reus will create two groups of new sculptures that similarly turn a common object on its head. One of these will distort the color and typography of the Nasher’s specially designed green “EXIT” signs, while the other will bring together the fruit basket—an esteemed and commonly-used still life object by painters—and market stands where fruits might be sold and displayed.

Sightings: Magali Reus is made possible by major support from the Dallas Art Fair Foundation and the Mondriaan Fund, with additional support provided by Marlene and John Sughrue.