Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is presenting Aaron Rothman’s solo exhibition, Aaron Rothman: Spoils, beginning Feb. 27, 2027.
The exhibition expands Rothman’s long-running photography practice into an immersive installation that examines changing landscapes in the American West through themes of industrialization, landscape representation and cultural attitudes toward nature, according to a press release.
An Arizona-based artist, Mr. Rothman has spent years documenting Western landscapes. For Spoils, he reimagines a historic European period room, drawing inspiration from textiles and decorative arts he encountered while visiting London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
The concept emerged after Mr. Rothman observed how textiles were displayed alongside objects acquired during the era of the British Empire.
“Recreating that aesthetic, using imagery from environmentally damaged places, and staging it in the way of a period room, seemed like a way to prompt reflection on how we got here and on possibilities for our uncertain future,” Mr. Rothman said.
In Spoils, Mr. Rothman transforms photographs of contemporary landscapes into furniture, textiles and decorative objects, combining photography, digital weaving, design and fabrication.
The exhibition explores how decorative objects can reflect both a desire to connect with nature and an urge to control or contain it. By linking historical representations of nature with the environmental effects of industrialization, globalization and resource extraction, the installation invites visitors to consider how cultural ideas have shaped humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Keshia Turley, assistant curator at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, said the exhibition examines environmental change while also encouraging visitors to think about future possibilities.
“While ‘Spoils’ certainly confronts the environmental consequences of human activity, I think what’s equally important is that it doesn’t treat them as an inevitable endpoint,” Ms. Turley said. “The exhibition creates space to consider what might emerge from them. It’s about recognizing that we still have a role in shaping what comes next and how we begin to imagine something different.”
Mr. Rothman said the exhibition is intended to reflect the uncertainty of the current ecological moment rather than offer definitive answers.
“I want it to be an open-ended experience that gets at the uncertainty of the present ecological moment,” Mr. Rothman said. “I hope it brings out a mix of feelings, from sorrow, anxiety and dread, to beauty, awe and consolation. Uncertainty is a scary thing to sit with — but with it, unthought and unknown possibilities still exist.”
Aaron Rothman: Spoils is organized by Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and curated by Ms. Turley.
