Nancy Hoffman Gallery is pleased to announce Projecting democracy, a solo exhibition by Swedish-American artist Michele Pred, on view February 5 through March 21, 2026. The exhibition brings together five large-scale photographs, sculptural installations, and new mixed- media works that explore themes of equality, bodily autonomy, freedom, and collective resistance. The majority of the works were made between 2022 and 2025, with the exception of Confiscated (stack) (2002 – 2026).

At the heart of Projecting Democracy is Pred’s powerful series of public projections, made between November 2024 – November 2025, illuminating cultural landmarks including the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Federal Building in San Francisco, and Yellowstone National Park. (All projections are executed guerrilla-style, independently produced, temporary, and without permission. There was no collaboration or affiliation with the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., or any other public building included in this series.) Pred uses architecture as her canvas to project bold feminist statements, including the DEI “forbidden words” and messages like “Equal Pay” and “This Land is Your Land,” transforming public spaces into forums for dialogue and empowerment. She often integrates images of her artwork with the text slogans, creating a powerful visual conversation between message, form, and place. A looping projection inside the gallery extends this dialogue globally, featuring images from additional activations in Berkeley, Washington, D.C., and Sweden.

Pred’s commitment to merging activism and art continues in a series of sculptural and installation works that reflect on justice, resilience, and remembrance.

  • Confiscated (stack) (2002 – 2026) revisits the thousands of airport-confiscated “sharps” collected in the wake of 9/11, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks and exploring the lingering imprint of fear and control on public life.

  • In the body on trial (2026), Pred transforms vintage judges’ gavels into a monumental installation, hanging from the ceiling alongside packets of birth control pills. The work critiques the law’s role in regulating women’s bodies, turning instruments of authority into symbols of resistance.

  • In ice storm (2026), Pred transforms a vintage chandelier into a haunting symbol of control. Interwoven with crystals and bullets painted with nail polish, the sculpture confronts ICE violence, including the killing of Renee Nicole Good, challenging viewers to face systems of power and loss.

  • Strength in numbers (2023) features five oversized Rosie the Riveter sculptures, cast in resin in hues of pink and army green, symbolizing solidarity and feminist power.

Also debuting in Projecting democracy is a new body of work that reflects Pred’s Swedish heritage, incorporating found and reworked items collected across Sweden into a series of intimate collages. These works provide a deeply personal counterpoint to the large-scale projections, grounding her activism in ancestry and identity.

Through these diverse works, Pred transforms light, history, and material into a unified language of resistance and hope. Projecting democracy underscores the power of collective visibility and the importance of art keeping the democratic spirit alive.