This review was originally published in April 2026, as part of a blog post titled “Prototypical” meaning “denoting the first, original, or typical form of something,” because it was a first draft of a now abandoned journal project.
I feel quite fortunate to live in a city where, about once a month, something will catch my… eye is not the right word, but appeals to (my) “heart” or “head” are not fully accurate either. Desire to write a bit more than some quick snaps on Insta though- long form, even if short in format- does summarize it pretty well. This month, the exhibit that my mind has returned to most often is Isys Hennigar’s (she/her) Sands of Seven Hills at Anchorlight.
I got the chance to see Isys in conversation with Hồng-An Trương in the Anchorlight space recently. I was glad to see a packed room, and also grateful for how gracious the artist and moderator were with their time and their thoughts. The work is so textually rich that the conversation sucked in a breathing number of topics. It is also notable that so many of us (apparently) show up at artist talks intending to have a speaker validate what we see in their practice. In all of these instances- where I felt any misgivings about whether the work might be trying to do too much- I also felt sincerity in the comments by Hennigar.
It’s been a minute since I got to witness the kind of respect from a mentor Truong showed to Hennigar. I know the former draws a lot of water in this town, and the import of the deference, while not “the point” in any way, for me landed as very relevant, given the way leadership is so often being modeled in this moment of history. I’ll also note that the camaraderie clearly related to shared interests or at least intentions. As a writer who (literally in the paragraphs above) gives my attention to creatives that share an interest in the media I center in my practice, I’m reminded what a unique place the Arts can be. I see communities within a larger community, where speech is valued and protected, as much as we can at least, and hopefully where the net effect of allowing ourselves to be exposed to some things outside our “go to” has the benefit of keeping our hearts and minds open.
But about the work itself… Although the works aren’t ostentatious, they have a certain maximalist bent-they are crammed full of different cultural references, but belong to none of them specifically, as a strategy to call our attention to how cultural concepts, mores and values are given physical shape.
I saw the piece above first, and circled back to it after seeing the rest of the show. Many of the objects do not declare whether they are found or made, which is Hennigar’s intent- to obfuscate, and not just to be clever or lord their facility with materials over us, which… wow can they make stuff. The work would probably fall flat though without the fussiness the Artist is able to muster. Hennigar did note during the talk that the application and intent of high craft is often to give an object cultural significance and weight.
I struggled to believe my own eyes- the coral appeared to be finished (sealed, or painted?) to preserve it, or, was it created like so many things in the show? Was it curiosity from a beach rental, a mandala, a museum diorama? During the talk later, I thought back to this piece when Hennigar wondered out loud about the questions she asks in the work; what is made important, and how, and why. So many of us have picked up broken pieces of coral out of fascination and brought them out of the context of the natural world into the human realm of architecture. (I think) Hennigar would have us interrogate the cultural mechanics of such an action- not to invalidate our enjoyment of nature, but to ask we reason through why the removal of the natural from nature validates the object(s).
I’m only sharing one image because you should all just go see the show- there is still time. Hennigar is offering gallery hours, too, if you want to meet them and see the show (next Saturday, 4/11, from 1-5)
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