An exhibition at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s MassArt Art Museum in Boston is presenting a selection of works from Robert Lazzarini’s canceled proposal for the U.S. pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, which marked America’s 250th anniversary. The exhibition, titled “Metes and Bounds,” features nine artworks that reinterpret iconic American objects, transforming them into distorted, sculptural forms that challenge viewers’ perception.

Lazzarini’s sculptures include contorted versions of a rotary telephone, a police barricade, a 17th-century colonial lectern, and an American flag used to drape the coffins of fallen service members. Each piece is crafted from the same materials as the original objects but manipulated into melted, twisted shapes that eliminate their function. Curated by John Ravenal, “Metes and Bounds” explores themes of power and authority as embodied in these symbolic objects, reflecting on America’s colonial and midcentury history.

The exhibition’s title references a colonial land surveying method, underscoring questions of territory and governance. Ravenal and Lazzarini had initially proposed a pavilion called “History Maker” for the Venice Biennale, which would have addressed America’s complex historical narratives through these distorted forms. Their proposal was widely anticipated but ultimately collapsed amid a politically charged, last-minute selection process complicated by a government shutdown. The University of South Florida, initially the sponsor, withdrew support, and the State Department reassigned the pavilion project to artist Alma Allen and curator Jeffrey Uslip through the American Art Conservancy, a newly formed nonprofit. “History Maker” thus became known as the pavilion that did not come to fruition.

Although “Metes and Bounds” is not identical to the proposed pavilion, the first three works visitors encounter originate from the abandoned project. The museum commissioned two additional pieces for the current show: a series of 12 woodcuts inspired by the 1507 Waldseemüller map—the first to label “America” as a separate continent—and a wooden interpretation of a 17th-century colonial lectern. Another notable work planned for Venice, a fabric sculpture of a liquefied American flag, is also represented in the Boston exhibition.

The sculptures fall into two main categories of distortion: molten and forced perspective. Among the molten works, a police barricade is stretched into exaggerated noodle-like forms, while nearby, wall-mounted street signs reading “Dead End” and “Private Property. No Trespassing” are riddled with bullet holes and appear to melt. Forced perspective pieces include a rotary telephone modeled after a Western Electric 500-series phone, a metal safe with its door blown off, and a wooden institutional chair suggestive of authority figures. The installation’s stark lighting and white walls enhance the optical illusion-like qualities of these sculptures, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

Lazzarini, 61, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts and has exhibited in venues including MoMA PS1, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and the 2002 Whitney Biennial. Ravenal, 67, formerly directed the de Cordova Sculpture Park and Museum and has worked as an independent curator since 2020. He previously curated a solo exhibition of Lazzarini’s work in 2003.

Ravenal describes “Metes and Bounds” as engaging broader themes related to the authoritarian undercurrents present in society, materialized through transformed everyday objects. Yet the exhibition’s focus on historical distortions and symbols of past power structures raises questions about its contemporary relevance, especially given current shifts in U.S. power influenced by technology and artificial intelligence sectors. Critics note a tension between the show’s exploration of authoritarianism and the risk that its nostalgic and threatening imagery could inadvertently reinforce the very systems it critiques.

While the full “History Maker” pavilion was never realized, Lazzarini and Ravenal continue to develop plans to exhibit its components gradually, aiming to eventually present the complete work in the future.