Unboxed: the topography of Josh Owen

Unboxed: the topography of Josh Owen is an exhibition of instructional, utilitarian objects that define an evolving and active archive of designer, educator, and author Josh Owen’s work and observations.

JO.55, the inaugural edition of Josh Owen’s solo exhibition, is a modular, traveling installation project in collaboration with RZLBD (Reza Aliabadi, Toronto, ON) and ARBR Studios (Rochester, NY). The show debuts with 55 display boxes, one for each year of Owen’s life, allowing for the show to be a continuously evolving snapshot of his career as a designer and educator.

Using excavation as its central metaphor, the exhibition unfolds like a topographical landscape. The inaugural edition, JO.55, presents the initial 55 modular plywood boxes arranged on the gallery floor. These boxes function as both display units and transportable crates, allowing the exhibition to adapt to various spaces, emphasizing the dynamic and evolving nature of Josh’s work.

The exhibition is divided into three sections by color-coded trays: Professional (white), Pedagogical (black), and Phenomenological (red). Rather than isolating individual works on the walls, the exhibition presents them together in a cohesive, immersive display, offering viewers a collective experience that integrates Josh’s creative history. The installation celebrates how life and work are inextricably linked and how design can be a lens through which we explore both the material and emotional worlds.

“At its core, the installation explores excavation—not only as a physical process but as an intellectual and emotional search for the roots of creativity.”
— RZLBD

About Josh Owen
Josh Owen is the Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design and the Director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT. Prior to his current role, Owen was Director of the Industrial Design Department in which he continues to teach his popular course known as the Metaproject. Owen is also the president of his eponymous design studio, Josh Owen LLC. His professional projects are produced by major manufacturers and have won many awards. Owen’s professional work has been featured in major exhibitions, numerous books on design, and is regularly included in critical design discourse. He is the author of the book, Lenses for Design.

About RZLBD
RZLBD (Reza Aliabadi) is a Canadian artist and architect of Persian origin. Founder of Atelier RZLBD in Toronto, his work spans disciplines—designing spaces, crafting objects, curating installations, creating conceptual works, and publishing the zine rzlbdPOST. A marginal man with no vowels, a restless creator sentenced to iteration, and a self-declared wanderer of ideas, RZLBD resists categorization—guided not by titles, but by a pursuit of form, void, and meaning.

Exhibtion Duration
August 28–September 20, 2026

Opening Reception
September 4, 6 –9 PM

Private Press Event
September 4, at 4 PM

Gallery Location
RIT City Art Space, Rochester NY