By Jason Isolini, April 10, 2026
The limit of the photograph is its material form. Regardless of substrate, the photograph resolves into something physical. Frequently UV inks are fused to a surface, where image and matter become one. Letha Wilson’s exhibition “Stone’s Throw” at Grimm Gallery treats this end point as a dialogue of tactile mobility. Here, the photograph is hardened as an image with a capacity to continue to be acted upon.
The remnants of wrangling are evident in their viewership. “Goblin Valley Sunrise Punch Holes” (2026) takes the solace of an evening sunset as a reality to pierce. Using the cresting sun as a visual anchor, several physical holes, resembling bullet holes, bore in an ‘s’ shape through the back of the composite substrate revealing the wall behind. UV printed Dibond, a material that sandwiches PVC between two pieces of aluminum, isn’t particularly vulnerable to such gestures. It’s part of what makes Wilson’s will to break the romanticism of the landscape so satisfying— the impact-driven might of an industrial stake does not apologize. Nor does she.
The quality for which Wlison works with images and materials is specific to a tension between breaking points and care. Not every image is on a dense surface. Wilson stages an awareness of an image's fragility by puncturing, but also pulling, wrapping, and forcing the image into various positions it’s unlikely to find itself in alone. A large-scale image titled “Pacific Coast Bronze Sand Lines” (2026) disrupts the visual rhythm of sand by rippling over four vertical bronze posts embedded into the frame. In this scenario, the vinyl image is forced to bend over the posts perpendicular to the visual logic of the sand lines. The image itself at this scale becomes noise as the posts mimic the sand highlights and strategically offer the image structural integrity.
Across the space three distinct image-sculptures are wrapped into two foot funnel-like shapes partially submerged in concrete and resting on a plinth. “Copper Rock Round” (2026) coils an image of red rock from the American West, printed on copper, echoing the relationship between mineral embeddings and their industrial transpositions. Much like the show's title, Wilson’s work positions the viewer in proximity to the lightness of the image and its weighted reality. A unique material knowledge comes from personal commitment to a practice rather than one outsourced using commercial means. Wilson's work explores the technological possibilities of imaging through her precise selection of building materials— those that react with the substrate itself, anchoring the image in matter. A particular moment in the show reveals a Doric column that otherwise would have been buried in the wall: "Yosemite Wall Column Push, 2026” weaves an image of Yosemite National Park’s signature mountains through and behind the column obstructing its vanishing point.
Architectural interventions continue to be the most ambitious part of Wilson’s work. Much like Gordon Matta-Clark, Wilson excavates architecture to expose voids and leftover space. Unlike Matta-Clark, Wilson suggests the natural world is itself another material to carve through.
Jason Isolini is an artist whose solo exhibition “You’re Bringing Me Down” occurred at Picture Theory in 2024.
LETHA WILSON "Copper Rock Round", 2026.
LETHA WILSON "Double Notched Steel Column Hold", 2026.
LETHA WILSON "Goblin Valley Sunrise Punch Holes", 2026.
LETHA WILSON "Pacific Coast Bronze Sand Lines", 2026.
LETHA WILSON "Yosemite Wall Column Push", 2026.