At Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University, Radiant Geometries: Vectors of Knowledge from the Indigenous Americas gathers artists across South, Central, and North America into a vivid, multi-media dialogue. Curated by Noor Al\u00e9 and on view in Houston through December 19, the exhibition frames contemporary practices through Indigenous interpretations of mathematics, science, and architecture, drawing out cosmologies, narratives, and technologies that resonate across time.<\/p>\n
The show\u2019s throughline is clear from its historical touchstones: for centuries, Navajo\/Din\u00e9 weavers have produced intricate, geometrically patterned blankets and rugs on upright looms powered solely by the artisans\u2019 bodies, while more than a millennia ago in Mesoamerica, Mayans created ornate ceramics animated by natural motifs such as birds. Using materials gathered or cultivated from the land\u2014Din\u00e9 communities have herded the distinctive Navajo-Churro sheep since the breed\u2019s 16th-century introduction by Spaniards\u2014these traditions continue to guide and inspire artists today. Paintings, sculpture, video, and sound works in the galleries probe mathematical, metaphysical, social, and environmental realms, aligning material knowledge with lived experience.<\/p>\n
Melissa Cody begins with a foundation in Din\u00e9 weaving, drawing on the teachings of three generations before her. Working between a vertical Navajo loom and a mechanized Jaquard machine, she fuses long-held motifs with contemporary patterning and messages. Her \u201cSunrise Rainbows\u201d (2025) exemplifies this approach, a Jacquard weaving with aniline dyed wool fringe (70 x 40 inches), presented courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York.<\/p>\n
Eamon Ore-Giron\u2019s large-scale geometric abstractions form a commanding presence, nodding to Indigenous motifs and symbols\u2014from Native American medicine wheels to tapestries from the Amazon Basin\u2014while engaging the 20th-century language of geometric abstraction, especially hard-edge painting. Among the works on view are \u201cBlack Medallion XIV (Inti)\u201d (2022), mineral paint and Flashe on linen (198 x 258 inches), and \u201cTalking Shit with Object 17 (Pre-Columbian ceramic plate with avian designs, 300-900 CE)\u201d (2026), mineral paint and Flashe on linen (30 x 30 inches), both courtesy of the artist and NORR COHAN, New York.<\/p>\n
Foregrounding Ore-Giron\u2019s canvases, Natalia Montoya Lecaros\u2019s T\u00f3tems de emergencia gathers four upright, mixed-media sculptures on \u201cfeet,\u201d installed in a circle that evokes a ceremonial cadence. Drawing a figurative thread from the garments of the Aymara people of the Andes\u2014renowned for vibrant, handcrafted clothing shaped by Indigenous traditions and Spanish influences\u2014the modular MDF forms incorporate tempera paint, acrylic yarn, beads, lined cardboard, and bird feathers (courtesy of the artist and Judas Galer\u00eda, Valpara\u00edso).<\/p>\n
Additional artists in Radiant Geometries include Patricia Dom\u00ednguez, Jordan Ann Craig, Nanibah Chacon, and Patrick Martinez. Works by Caroline Monnet\u2014such as \u201cA Quiet Place\u201d (2021), print on Enermax (46 x 46 inches)\u2014and Nanibah Chacon\u2014\u201cWhere Two Rivers Meet\u201d (2026), mixed media, sound installation\u2014extend the exhibition\u2019s sonic and spatial reach. \u201cAt its core, Radiant Geometries centers Indigenous ways of knowing that continueto shape relationships to territories, waterways, and interspecies care,\u201d Al\u00e9 says.<\/p>\n
The museum is also hosting a large-scale vinyl installation by Sharmistha Ray, which opens on October 22 and will remain on view through January 29.<\/p>\n