recycled CDs form vertical sculptures in tara donovan's stratagems

tara donovan’s stratagems engages skyscraper architecture

Tara Donovan presents Stratagems at the Transamerica Pyramid Center, installing a group of vertically oriented sculptures made entirely from thousands of recycled CDs. On view until July 31st, 2026 and organized by the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF), the exhibition is installed within the transparent Annex space. Stratagems enters into a deliberate exchange with the building itself, echoing the skyscraper’s verticality and reflective skin, while their recycled material introduces a counterpoint to the monumentality of the building. ‘My most recent sculpture series titled Stratagems are deeply connected to skyscraper architecture, both in their immediate verticality and their surface appearance.’ the artist shares. ‘When ICA SF invited me to be part of their evolution across the city, I could not imagine a more perfect site to bring these works than the soaring Transamerica Pyramid Center. I am always fixated on the ways that sculptures transform space and experience, and in this context, an intention of these sculptures to engage the understanding of urban architecture can be fully realized.’

all images courtesy of ICA SF, unless stated otherwise

obsolete CDs become building blocks for sculptural systems

Donovan’s practice is grounded in a sustained investigation of accumulation and transformation. For more than two decades, she has worked with ordinary, mass-produced materials, plastic cups, rubber bands, paper plates, tape, and straws, subjecting them to repetition until their individual identities dissolve into larger systems. Earlier works, including Transplanted, Nebulous, and Haze, transformed industrial materials into environments that evoked fog, geological formations, or organic growth. Other projects gestured toward urban expansion and the Anthropocene. Stratagems continues this trajectory, shifting scale and focus toward the city itself, extending her logic toward architecture. The CD, an object associated with late twentieth-century technology and now largely obsolete, becomes a reflective unit that responds to its environment.

Constructed as dense, vertical surfaces, the sculptures register subtle changes in daylight and weather. Reflections shift as clouds pass, as the sun moves across the sky, and as viewers change position within the gallery. Rather than presenting a stable form, the works continually reconfigure themselves visually, producing an experience that unfolds over time and ties perception to movement.

The exhibition reflects ICA San Francisco’s nomadic approach, which situates contemporary art within the city. At the Transamerica Pyramid Center, the site becomes a critical partner in the presentation of the work, expanding how sculpture can engage with an urban context.

vertically oriented sculptures composed of thousands of recycled CDs | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery

the reflective surfaces shift in color and intensity as daylight moves across the space | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery

the exhibition situates sculpture, architecture, and city within a shared visual field

perception shifts as viewers circulate around the works | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery

Tara Donovan’s sculptures function as responsive surfaces | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery

the installation enters into dialogue with the architecture of the Transamerica Pyramid Center | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery

the sculptures echo the building’s verticality while remaining materially distinct | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery

responding to changing illumination within the gallery

reflective surfaces that fracture light into shifting bands of color | Installation View: Tara Donovan, Stratagems, 2025, January 17–July 31, 2026, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco © Tara Donovan, courtesy Pace Gallery, image by Nicholas Lea Bruno via @pacegallery