This summer, the Bruce Museum presents “Dustin Yellin: Politics of Eternity,” an exhibition dedicated to the Brooklyn-based artist whose intricately layered glass sculptures and collages explore the complex interconnections between humans, nature, and built environments. Organized by the American Federation of Arts and on view from July 25, 2026, through March 14, 2027, the exhibition is anchored by the artist’s monumental multi-part installation “Politics of Eternity” (2020), an allegorical glass sculpture compounding visions of the past and future through thousands of hand-cut images.
“Dustin Yellin: Politics of Eternity” is organized by the American Federation of Arts. The presentation at the Bruce Museum is organized by Jordan Hillman, Assistant Curator of Art.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Bruce will present excerpts from “Goodnight, Lamby,” a new short film set in Yellin’s sculptural universe, directed by the artist and produced by Darren Aronofsky and Justin Gonçalves.
“Few artists work at this intersection of art, science, and storytelling, and almost none at this scale. Dustin Yellin pulls them all into the same frame,” said Mary-Kate O’Hare, Ph.D., the Susan E. Lynch Executive Director and CEO of the Bruce Museum. “Yellin’s work offers a visually stunning meditation on how we understand the passage of time, the impact of technology in the Anthropocene, and our responsibilities to one another and the planet. These are exactly the kinds of intersections the Bruce can bring alive.”
Stretching eleven feet long and weighing nearly 11,000 pounds, “Politics of Eternity” unfolds as a panoramic narrative across seven parts, with thousands of images and painted marks embedded and frozen within layers of glass.
These sculptures juxtapose botanical forms, architectural fragments, and archival imagery, inviting audiences to consider how personal narratives intersect with global histories and ecological systems through time. Also on view will be a selection of related works on paper, paintings, and smaller glass sculptures that illuminate the development of Yellin’s ideas and processes, and trace his ongoing engagement with questions of mapping, embodiment, and collective consciousness.
Yellin’s film, “Goodnight, Lamby,” brings “Politics of Eternity” to life. Blending live action and animation, it follows three‑year‑old Zia as she searches through Yellin’s vast, fantastical sculpture for her missing stuffed Lamby, traveling across oceans, caves, outer space, and other improbable terrains. The Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, “Goodnight, Lamby” features the voices of Paul Rudd, Chris Rock, and the artist’s daughter, Zia Yellin, as well as an original song by Maggie Rogers.
Dustin Yellin (American, b. 1975) is a Brooklyn-based artist known for his richly layered storytelling that explores the intricate relationship between nature, technology, and the human condition. Working across media—including painting, sculpture, and animation—Yellin creates immersive, thought-provoking works that reveal the hidden networks connecting all living things. Yellin has exhibited widely in the United States and abroad, and his work has been the subject of solo shows at institutions including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, NY; Liberty Science Center, NJ; and SCAD Museum of Art at Savannah College of Art and Design, GA.
Known for blurring boundaries between disciplines, Yellin is also the founder of Pioneer Works, a cultural center in Brooklyn dedicated to experimentation across art, science, music, and technology.