Darren Almond presents a new series of paintings that speak to the artist’s continuing fascination with nature and the constructs of time, and feature fragments of numbers in precious metal leaf arranged in rhythmic patterns across gridded panels. Drawing on Japanese Rinpa painting from the Edo period (1615–1868) and the tradition of religious icon painting, Almond’s use of metals in these works point to a history of tension between spheres of wealth, power and spirituality.

In Isamu Noguchi’s metal sculptures, the time-bound themes of fragility and durability are counterpoised to arresting effect. Reflecting on the lasting impact of bronze, Noguchi remarked: ‘When the oldest alloy of the Bronze Age becomes a product of modern industry, the contradictory nature of time becomes apparent. I believe we see with time, that of space, volume, structure, the time lag of sight.’

In her sculptures and installations, Virginia Overton frequently transforms discarded materials and, thus, their attendant narratives or histories. Her new installation Untitled (Skylight Gem) (2022), for example, began with a permanent commission for the central atrium at La Guardia airport, New York. Inspired by pyramidal glass skylights – a prominent architectural feature distinguishing the New York skyline – Overton has reformed sections of leaded skylights into enclosed forms that are suspended and lit from within, a star-like nucleus of energy.

Inspired by the elements – as well as specific phenomena, such as the cloud, the root, an everglade – these works use varied techniques and treatments of metal to articulate the artists’ sensitivity to compositional harmony and profound respect for natural beauty.