Cryptic Bodies · Anastasia Kirages / Naomi Kuo / Autumn McIlraith / Hilary Scullane
Opening Reception Friday, September 11, 6–9 PM
On view Saturdays, 1–5 PM
September 11–October 10, 2026
Cryptic Bodies is an exhibition of four interdisciplinary Houston-based femme artists who work in sculpture, collage, zines, and socially engaged practices. As one excavates their layered work, bodies are revealed, both human, non-human, and intangible, criss-crossed with veins of mystery. Bodies of knowledge require respectful decoding and diligent sharing, or they are obfuscated, strategically or maliciously. Collectively, the work deals with women’s health, morphing identities, fragmentary memories, hidden or community-held histories, and interconnected ecosystems. The artists are each active in their communities, organizing art-making meetups and festivals and teaching. The exhibition brings together personal and collaborative works, which display the internal worlds and social concerns of these four women who are embedded in the rich landscape of Houston’s art community.
The following programs accompany this exhibition:
Saturday 9/26, 1-5 PM @BOX 13: World Cyanotype Day Workshop w/ Hilary Scullane
Saturday 10/3, 7PM @Grand Prize Bar: Nerd Nite - Naomi Kuo presents about the Southwest Houston Environmental Justice Tours
Saturday 10/10, 1:30-4pm @BOX 13: Closing Celebration
Artist Reflections (1:30 PM)
Mending & Collage Meet-Up (2-4 PM)
Anastasia “Stacy” Kirages is a Houston-based collage artist and zinester who explores themes of memory, history, nostalgia, and preservation. In her work, she utilizes found ephemera through collage, zine-making, and photography to reflect on her own family history and relationships, and to create fictionalized memories in new contexts. The artist earned a M.Ed in Literacy Education from Texas Woman’s University and a BA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, she runs a monthly collage meet-up group with artist Chasity Porter called Scissors of Texas/Tijeras de Tejas and has also been a lead organizer for Zine Fest Houston (ZFH) since 2013, and Uncle Bob’s Photo Zine Market since 2021. In addition to community organizing, she volunteers with Black & Pink, Girls Rock Camp Houston, and Montrose Grace Place. Her work has shown nationally and internationally, which you can check out online at kllages.com/ or on Instagram: @k.llages.
Naomi Kuo is a Taiwanese-American mixed media and social practice artist based in Houston, TX. Her work utilizes drawing, collage, textile-making, and various collaborative modes to help diverse communities strengthen connections of care with each other and the environment. Her work focuses on the layered histories and overlooked support systems of primarily immigrant and BIPOC communities, marginal green spaces, and urban infrastructure. Kuo received an MFA in Studio Art/Social Practice at the City University of New York, Queens College, and her exhibition history includes the Queens Museum of Art, Asia Society Texas Center, and Houston Climate Justice Museum. Kuo is a current member of BOX 13 ArtSpace, and she leads workshops on art, nature, and sustainability. naomikuoart.com | @kuokuopuffs
Autumn McIlraith is a mixed-media artist living in Houston, Texas. Her work uses imagination and emotion to engage with the world around her, exploring embodied experiences of chronic pain and illness. She is the founder and organizer of Gluestick Mafia, a monthly collage group in Houston, and has created multiple interactive collage exhibitions at community events in the city. She is an alumna of the Artist INC program from Mid-America Arts Alliance. You can follow her on Instagram at @paper.autumn, and follow @gluestickmafiahtx for collage meetups.
Hilary Scullane is an interdisciplinary artist and art educator based in Houston, Texas. She earned her BFA in Sculpture from the University of Houston in 2014 and currently teaches Sculpture at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands. Scullane has showcased her work in group exhibitions at The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, DiverseWorks, and annually at The Menil Collection for the Bring YourOwnBeamer event. Additionally, she participated as a Summer Studios artist at Project Row Houses, a renowned residency program in Houston’s Northern Third Ward.
