For Liste 2026, Maximillian William is pleased to present Houston-based artist Jaylon Israel Hicks, marking his first fair in Europe. The presentation features two sculptures by Hicks: USA Playhouse (2026) and g (2026).

In USA Playhouse, Hicks borrows the visual language of a children’s playhouse, but also draws from a patchwork of cultural references. Its exterior is engraved with the stars and stripes of the American flag, alongside references to Franz Kafka's The Castle. The miniature door might lead to a place of imagination and intimacy, yet the structure as a whole echoes the ceremonial façades that institutions use to conceal their bureaucratic labyrinths. Hicks asks what it means to dwell within a grand exterior that is difficult to take seriously.

In g, Hicks transforms an emblem of abundance and innocence into a dark, light-absorbing form. For Hicks, the apple evokes the myth of Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity. Inspired by this story, g conjures the universe’s incomprehensible darkness, an infinite void in which only gravity persists. At the same time, the commonplace presence of a barrel of apples insists that even the most ordinary objects can become portals into the cosmos.

Placed side by side, the sculptures invite viewers into a space reminiscent of a typical suburban backyard. But upon closer inspection, an unsettling afterimage emerges. A lingering uncanniness pulls the viewer into a realm haunted by history while casting an uncertain light on what comes next.