Alien Invasion features objects and images from RAM’s collections that are both fantastical and familiar. The contemporary artists whose works are featured—many of whom use the natural world as inspiration—do not shy away from the oversized, dramatic, or intriguing. They understand the value of things that are rooted in the real yet are rendered mysterious with an artist’s manipulation. Most of these artists do not use the word alien to describe their interests or their work but they talk about friction and tension, usually in organic forms.

The organizing principle for this exhibition, inspired by a walk through RAM’s collection storage spaces, encourages imaginative and fanciful interpretations of objects, images, and adornment. Whether human-sized baskets, pieces made of recognizable materials used in unexpected ways, or paintings and jewelry that feature organic forms that might challenge expectations, these works offer new perspectives for looking at the sometimes blurry boundaries between natural and artificial or recognizable and strange.

This exhibition has an online counterpart that focuses on current work produced by members of RAM’s community. Alien Invasion: RAM Virtual Community Art Show features 59 artists from across the world who submitted 58 works that touch upon the idea of organic invasion and intrusion.