THOMAS SLEET  | Down River: Prayer is Verb

September 4 - October 31, 2026

Bruno David is pleased to announce Down River: Prayer is Verb; a solo exhibition of new sculptural and mixed-media works by St. Louis-based artist Thomas Sleet. The exhibition opens with a public reception on Friday, September 4, 2026, and remains on view through October 31, 2026, at the gallery’s main space on Forsyth Boulevard, downtown Clayton, MO.

In this new body of work, Sleet continues his rigorous investigation into the structural dynamics of repeating forms and the intricate relationship between internal and external spaces. Drawing profound inspiration from the natural formations of earth, rock, streams, and rivers, Sleet creates work that bridge’s natural structure and synthetic buildings. The artist seeks to shape the future between the built environment and the natural environment.

Sleet works primarily with recycled and reclaimed materials—including cement, wood, ground red brick, carpet, charred elements, and mirror. He chooses these mediums specifically for the deep histories and “spirits” inherent in reclaimed objects. Sleet then transforms these materials through various processes, giving them new structure, geometry, and function. By utilizing these material histories, Sleet articulates concepts that transcend material bias and scale, echoing the colors, textures, and surfaces of organic topologies.

The resulting works frequently explore both positive and negative form functions and the interaction between them. His complex assemblages serve simultaneously as vessels, shells, edifice, and crucibles, evoking the spiritual and architectural presence of arks, altars, temples, and portals.

Thomas Sleet attended the Columbus College of Art and Design and Washington University in St. Louis’ Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, where he received his B.F.A. In conjunction with the exhibition, Bruno David Gallery will publish a comprehensive catalogue of the artist’s work, featuring an in-depth exhibition history and bibliography.