METAXIS: A Collection of Ideas and Objects by FUTUREFORMS Now On View
What does it mean to create public art and architecture in the 21st century?
The Bay Area-based practice, FUTUREFORMS, founded by Jason Kelly Johnson and Nataly Gattegno questions the materials, tools and methods of art and architecture as we know them today. This first exhibition of their work, METAXIS: A Collection of Ideas and Objects by FUTUREFORMS, will be on view at the California College of the Arts (CCA) Campus Gallery (1480 17th Street) from January 21 to March 20, 2026.
METAXIS is the first solo exhibition of work from FUTUREFORMS. Over 20 models and representations of extraordinary artworks and installations rethink how we dream, design and build with one essential ambition: to create vibrant and meaningful objects that are dynamically intertwined with their sites.
“The exhibition takes as its point of departure the Greek word metaxi, referring to an in‑between condition—belonging to two realms at once,” said Gattegno. “METAXIS explores what happens in between: between ideas, objects, spaces, and ways of seeing. It reflects on the dynamic state of being in the middle of things, a shifting tension or oscillation rather than a fixed condition. The exhibited works move fluidly between perception and imagination, inside and outside, presence and absence.”
Through a series of physical models, drawings, videos and photographs created by FUTUREFORMS between 2015 and 2025, the exhibition approaches art and architecture as an active process–not a static object. A process that is continually shifting and open to interpretation. The exhibited works invite viewers to contemplate these in-between states, and to experience how situated objects hold contrasting ideas in balance. These experiences have the capacity to coexist and resonate both individually and collectively.
“METAXIS draws on multiple modes of representation to document our creative process over the last 10 years. The exhibition is structured like a studio visit, with process models and prototypes exhibited alongside more finished work,” said Johnson. “It illustrates how our practice brings together knowledge and tools from multiple disciplines—art, architecture, computational design, and more.”
Visitors will experience rarely seen physical models, prototypes, drawings and photographs that provoke dialogue on the role speculative projects and public art can play in activating the urban realm. The exhibition is organized around two islands of exploratory artifacts. The extraordinary range of explorations, mostly digitally fabricated or 3D printed and combined with handcrafted elements, were produced in FUTUREFORMS’ studio and fabrication shop.
At the conclusion of the San Francisco exhibition, METAXIS will travel to the Elmaleh Gallery at the University of Virginia, opening in September 2026.
Gallery Talk, Walking Tour and Studio Visit:
Fri, Feb 6 2026 12:30-3pm (Open to Public)
Lecture and Closing Party:
March 19, 2026 at 5:00pm; CCA Main Building - Nave Pres Space, 145 Hooper St.
Gallery Closing Reception (post-lecture) 6:30pm, CCA Campus Gallery, 1480 17th St.
