Alicia Eggert

Inspired by physics and philosophy, Alicia Eggert’s sculptures give material form to language and time across a variety of mediums. Her earlier work often paired found objects with systems of marking time or performances of physical and mental endurance: collecting her lover’s belly button lint at the end of each day and pinning the specimens to a calendar drawn on the wall; installing her entire wardrobe in a giant bundle on the wall of a gallery; removing every needle from a Christmas tree and then placing those needles in clear glass ornaments and hanging them back on the tree.

Eggert is perhaps best known for her text-based neon work, which has become increasingly focused on political activism and social justice. These sign sculptures draw text from a variety of sources, from Plato to Immanuel Kant to Stewart Brand. Eggert’s activist work is particularly influenced by artist Tania Bruguera’s Artforum essay from 2019, “Notes on Political Timing Specificity.” Eggert’s appropriation of vernacular modes of information delivery, such as commercial signage and neon, renders challenging concepts more approachable and facilitates dialogues about some of today's most critical issues. The artist’s 2022 collaboration with Planned Parenthood, a neon sculpture titled "OURs," which was temporarily installed in front of the US Supreme Court, was featured in an article for the summer 2023 issue of Gagosian Quarterly about artworks that address reproductive justice.

Based in Dallas, Alicia Eggert (American, b. 1981) is Associate Professor of Studio Art at University of North Texas. Eggert’s work has been exhibited at institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, CAFA Art Museum Beijing, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Telfair Museums. Eggert has received a TED Fellowship, Long Now Foundation Fellowship, Hopper Prize, S&R Foundation Washington Award, Harpo Foundation Direct Artist Grant, Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Microgrant, and Maine Arts Commission Artist Fellowship. Her first solo museum exhibition opens at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in April 2024.