Austin, TX — Twin brothers Nikolai and Simon Haas are the artists behind “Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley,” a major exhibition opening to Blanton Museum of Art members this week before its public opening Sunday, Sept. 27.
The brothers lived in Austin from ages 3 to 19, and the Blanton says the city’s creative culture left a lasting mark on their work. The pair has cited everything from Austin’s public art and local business signage to landmarks such as Treaty Oak and the city’s moontowers as inspiration.
“I think that art in this city, especially in the ’90s, was really made to engage people and to make people feel happy and be excited,” Nikolai Haas said.
He said Austin’s art scene at the time also gave young artists room to experiment without some of the pressures found in larger art centers.
“It left a lot of space to just do it because you love it, which is pretty awesome,” Haas said.
The brothers eventually moved to Los Angeles and founded their collaborative studio in 2010. Their work crosses the boundaries of art, craft, design and technology, often taking the form of colorful creatures and plant-like sculptures.
“Uncanny Valley” features more than 80 artworks spanning roughly 15 years of their career. Pieces incorporate materials ranging from bronze, porcelain and carved wood to blown glass, antique Venetian glass beads, automotive paint and 3D-printed nylon.
The Blanton says the exhibition is the Haas Brothers’ first major museum show in Austin, making the stop something of a homecoming for the artists.
The nationally touring exhibition debuted at Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan before traveling to New York’s Museum of Arts and Design and now Austin.
Blanton members receive early access Sept. 23 through Sept. 26.
“Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley” opens to the general public Sept. 27 and runs through Jan. 17, 2027 at the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin.
Learn more: “Haas Brothers: Uncanny Valley – Blanton Museum of Art Blanton Museum of Art”