The Sam Fox School Gallery at Washington University in St. Louis will present “It Is What It Is When It Is,” a solo exhibition of new work from St. Louis-based artist Sterling Lawrence.
The exhibition title considers how familiar objects can shift when their function, material and context are changed. A birdhouse, a light box and a sheet of paper become sculptural propositions in raw aluminum, stripped of the conventions that ordinarily tell us what they are and how they should be understood.
At the center of the exhibition is the tension between permanence and circumstance. The phrase “it is what it is” suggests certainty; the addition of “when it is” introduces time, context and the possibility of change. Lawrence’s objects occupy that space between the fixed and the fleeting, taking on meaning through their surroundings and through the viewer’s experience.
By reproducing recognizable forms in unexpected materials, Lawrence creates a sense of estrangement that makes the familiar newly available for consideration. Surfaces reflect light and movement, while seemingly straightforward objects open onto associations of shelter, exposure, absence and possibility.
The work is informed by a period of profound personal change for the artist, as Lawrence enters fatherhood against a backdrop of an increasingly unsettled world. Together, these forces create an exhibition concerned with what remains, what changes, and what an object — or an experience — can mean in a particular moment.
About the artist
Sterling Lawrence was born in Oregon. Throughout his practice, the artist has addressed themes of domestic and social space, architecture, the body and figuration across disciplines. Lawrence aims to re-inscribe “original” design to fit today’s climate of negotiating self through contemporary art. His practice explores how objects invoke, reproduce and stage space, often asking the viewer to relate their bodily presence to latent utilitarian design.
Lawrence lives and works in St. Louis. He earned a master’s in fine arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Notable exhibitions include Document Gallery (Chicago), Devening Projects (Chicago), DePaul Art Museum (Chicago) and Et al. (San Francisco). Lawrence also has participated in numerous art fairs, including Material Art Fair in Mexico City, Art Los Angeles Contemporary and Expo Chicago.
About the Sam Fox School Gallery
The WashU Sam Fox School Gallery presents exhibitions by students, faculty and widely known contemporary artists. Located less than a mile from campus in the Delmar Loop, it features two formal gallery spaces totaling 2,950 square feet. The gallery opened in fall 2025.
“It Is What It Is, When It Is” is curated by gallery director Jeff Robinson. The Sam Fox School Gallery is located at 6128 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, Mo. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and by appointment. An opening reception will take place from 5-7 p.m. Nov. 6. The exhibition is free and open to the public and will remain on view through Dec. 5. For additional information, visit the gallery website.
