Robert Booth, “Presence”, August 28 – October 31, 2026

Identifying Significance

Curatorial Essay by Robert Booth and Edward Y.J. Millar

Whether intentional or by chance, symbols surround us in our daily life. Every person, place, or thing has the potential to hold some hidden meaning for us. Seeing them may stir a memory, spark an emotion, or call us to act. Every day, we feel called to that allegorical impulse: to make sense of our world by piecing together fragmented signs into one cohesive narrative.

Robert Booth’s latest exhibition Presence highlights this relationship between allegory and human existence, encouraging reflection on how we make and mark meaning. Each varied sculptural form and two-dimensional work is packed full of recurring motifs, common symbols that stretch across the entire series in different pairings and configurations. Booth presents scenes that suggest the passage of time, consequence, and memory of something that has or will happen.

Pulling from a series of work entitled Prompts, the work in Presence are fragments inviting completion. The symbols and contexts he creates are not intended to hold supreme intrinsic meaning, but function as a sort of vocabulary. As a prompt for something more. As a set of ideas inviting the viewer to piece together each unique combination. To draw on personal memory and experience and tell him the story you see.

The gallery space mirrors Booth’s own studio, transporting viewers into the everyday context in which he navigates through ideas, moments, and memories. He uses familiar imagery like houses, pencils, and tally marks to encourage reflection and contemplation on lived experiences. Each depiction suggests meaning beyond their functional use and towards the experiences, emotions, and aspirations we associate with them. What memory or feeling does a house spark in your mind? How about with a stick of dynamite, nestled in the doorway? With a ladder stretching out above the chimney?

From the passage of time to making sense of unexpected circumstances, Booth invites viewers into a moment of shared remembrance and visualization. He pieces together a collaborative space where artist and viewer together engage in dialogue, exchanging memories and meanings sparked by each set of symbols. Each sculpture and two-dimensional work is a bridge between the physical world and the intangible ideas we navigate within it. In Presence, Booth asks viewers not just to look, but to be present with him as we try to make sense of our lived experiences.

Press Release available here.

Catalog available here.

August 2026 Fourth Friday photos available here. Photos by Curtis Kreutter.