Until February 1st, Dallas Contemporary presents Profile in Ecstasy, a large-scale exhibition by Chris Wolston that brings together design, art, and installation within a pronounced scenography. The exhibition explores how form can veer towards imagination, how decoration becomes an expressive medium, and how utilitarian objects shed their familiar roles. Spread throughout the galleries unfolds a world in which material, the body, and nature take centre stage, and in which aesthetics are deliberately amplified.
Chris Wolston works from studios in New York and Medellín and is known for a practice that moves fluidly between furniture design, sculpture, and installation. His background in non-Western making traditions, shaped in part by studies in Ghana and Colombia, continues to inform his work. In Medellín, he established a workshop where he collaborates with local artisans, integrating traditional techniques within a contemporary design context. This approach results in objects that are technically refined while leaving room for physical expression. 
In Profile in Ecstasy, Wolston presents a selection of iconic works, including terracotta chairs and woven structures, alongside newly developed pieces such as lighting, furniture, and specially designed rugs. The exhibition is conceived as an immersive environment in which individual objects form part of a larger narrative. Decorative motifs drawn from Art Nouveau, pre-Columbian symbolism, and architectural excess converge in a setting that invites sensory engagement.
At the centre of the space stands a monumental light object conceived as a fountain, in which an iconic portrait is translated into a sculptural presence of water and light
The presentation at Dallas Contemporary is structured around four elevated walkways reminiscent of a catwalk. This scenography enhances the performative nature of Wolston’s work and underscores its relationship with the body. Video works by filmmaker David Sierra accompany the installation, providing a rhythmic undercurrent of image and movement. At the centre of the space stands a monumental light object conceived as a fountain, in which an iconic portrait is translated into a sculptural presence of water and light. 
As a non-collecting institution with a strong focus on experimental and interdisciplinary art, Dallas Contemporary offers a fitting framework for Wolston’s practice. The exhibition aligns with the institution’s mission to question established categories and open up new perspectives. Profile in Ecstasy transforms the exhibition space into a layered landscape in which design manifests as both a physical and mental experience that continues to resonate.
Exhibition photography by Joe Kramm
Portrait photography by Joe Kramm and courtesy of The Future Perfect
Text by Carolien Depamelaere