Six acclaimed contemporary artists have transformed the 140-acre grounds of The Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, into an outdoor gallery with site-specific installations that explore the relationship between art, nature, and ecology. The exhibition, titled Ground/work 2025, features sculptures by Yō Akiyama, Laura Ellen Bacon, Aboubakar Fofana, Hugh Hayden, Milena Naef, and Javier Senosiain strategically placed throughout the property's diverse landscapes, from carefully maintained parkland to open fields and dense groves of trees.
Laura Ellen Bacon has created one of the exhibition's most striking pieces with "Gathering My Thoughts," a nine-by-five-foot ethereal sculpture installed in a wooded area. Constructed from willow sourced from Ohio, the work appears to writhe and move like a living, growing organism, demonstrating Bacon's signature approach of creating sculptures from malleable twigs that seem to possess their own natural energy and motion.
Hugh Hayden's installation, titled "The End," presents visitors with a larger-than-life ribcage of unknown species, constructed from locally sourced hemlock and punctuated by dozens of branches that extend outward in every direction. Partially camouflaged among the surrounding trees, the piece serves as a powerful commentary on ecological vulnerability, extinction, and the ongoing climate crisis. In a poignant gesture that mirrors natural processes, the artwork will be allowed to decompose on-site following the exhibition, reflecting how animal remains eventually return to the earth.
Aboubakar Fofana has contributed his first public art installation to the exhibition with "Bana Yiriw ni Shi Folow (Trees and Seeds of Life)," which consists of two botanical forms that draw upon his spiritual belief in the divinity of nature. The work incorporates rolls of African cotton dyed with indigo, symbolizing seeds, integrated into a curling metal framework that creates an organic, flowing structure.
The remaining three artists have each brought their unique perspectives to the natural setting. Javier Senosiain has installed a vibrant sea creature sculpture in one of the property's ponds, creating an unexpected aquatic encounter for visitors. Yō Akiyama has created "Oscillation: Vertical Garden," a conical monolith that evokes the appearance of scorched wood, while Milena Naef has positioned marble slabs titled "Three Times Spannin" that thoughtfully merge with the negative spaces created by a fallen tree, blurring the boundaries between natural and human-made forms.
The exhibition has been curated by independent scholar Glenn Adamson, who has intentionally designed the show to provide visitors with the opportunity to experience contemporary art within a completely natural setting. According to Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute, "The Clark's campus becomes an accomplice, of sorts, in helping us to see and appreciate each artist's particular vision and the interconnection between art and nature."
Meslay further explains that with this edition of Ground/work, the guest curator has deliberately blurred the traditional line that separates the consideration of art and craft, encouraging visitors to appreciate the inherent artistry present in all forms of creative making. This approach allows the exhibition to explore broader questions about the relationship between human creativity and natural processes.
Ground/work 2025 will continue through October 2026, offering visitors free access to the installations day or night, 24 hours a day, seven days a week on The Clark's campus. Those interested in visiting can plan their trip by accessing information on the museum's official website, which provides detailed maps and information about each installation's location throughout the expansive grounds.
