Using a restrained palette, Philips emphasizes form, texture, and material nuance. Graphite plays a central role in both the drawings and the sculptures—not only as a medium for mark-making, but also as a means of creating surface depth and tonal variation. Referencing Robert Smithson’sidea of spaces that “exist between mind and matter, detached from both,” the installation positions meaning in the shifting relationships between objects, space, and viewer. As visitors navigate the exhibition, these relationships transform, mirroring the instability of Heinlein’s
crooked house and the constant reinvention embedded in the fabric of Los Angeles.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Minna Philips is a contemporary artist from India, living in Inglewood, California. Her works explore the nature of reality, particularly the higher dimensional theory in physics that proposes the existence of extra dimensions and “branes” that suggest the confinement of our universe on one of the many membranes in higher dimensions. She is also inspired by natural patterns and the in-between nature of her identity as an immigrant. Her architectural drawings explore spaces as they relate to our bodies and perception, highlighting these ideas. Minna's works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are in private and public collections, including the Los Angeles Museum of Art (LACMA). Her work Memory is part of the Moon Gallery project based in the Netherlands and will eventually find a permanent place on the Moon in 2025.