There’s an animate quality to the biomorphic sculptures of the self-taught, Utah-born artist Alma Allen. His works, carved from wood, marble, and bronze—and informed by his deep appreciation for the natural world—appear as if they’re living, breathing things, at once prehistoric and futuristic. Far from fixed objects, they eschew any overt symbolism or predetermined narratives.

For this “site-specific” episode of Time Sensitive, our milestone 150th, we traveled to Mexico City to sit down with Allen inside his family’s home there to discuss his highest-visibility exhibition yet: “Call Me the Breeze,” a solo presentation at the U.S. Pavilion for the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale, opening May 9 and on view through Nov. 22. In addition to his plans for Venice and how he’s been navigating the noise and public debate around his selection for this year’s U.S. Pavilion, he also delves into the hard-to-pin-down nature of his material-forward sculptures and his peripatetic path to art-world ascendancy. 

Special thanks to our Season 13 presenting partner, Van Cleef & Arpels.

Show notes: 

Alma Allen

[20:04] Issey Miyake

[20:04] Todd Oldham

[20:04] Julio Espada

[26:06] "Call Me the Breeze" (2026)

[29:00] Mauricio Rocha

[29:00] Isamu Noguchi

[32:02] The Sound and the Fury

[32:02] Thomas Pynchon

[32:02] Samuel Beckett

[41:03] Clyfford Still

[39:10] Pierre Soulages

[50:13] Glenn Adamson

[53:00] J.J. Cale

[55:41] JB Blunk

[57:42] Constantin Brâncuși

[57:42] Lynda Benglis

[57:42] Louise Bourgeois

[57:42] Thaddeus Mosley

[59:24] Museo Anahuacalli

[1:04:38] Alma Allen on Park Avenue (2025)