Prototypes and Provocations

Prototypes and Provocations is the most comprehensive presentation to date of the award-winning work of Oakland-based architecture and design studio Rael San Fratello.

Founded by Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael in 2002, this mid-career survey traces Rael San Fratello’s evolution from their early experiments merging clothing and construction, to a series of bold projects centered on the U.S.-Mexico border, to their trailblazing work fusing 3D printing with traditional earthen materials.

Among them is the studio’s acclaimed 2019 project Teeter-Totter Wall, a set of bright pink seesaws installed along the infamous border wall. Inviting playful, transnational exchange, the work garnered widespread attention as a powerful symbol of the possibility for connection across a deeply contested divide.

One of the centerpieces of the exhibition is a new, large-scale commission titled Sanctuary. 3D printed entirely onsite using only soil, straw, and water, the cylindrical structure serves as a demonstration of the ecologically-sound building techniques that Rael San Fratello have developed. Alongside this work, a massive table will display a selection of 3D printed objects made from a wide array of materials either sustainable, upcycled, or rescued from the waste stream (including salt, chardonnay grape skins, salt, coffee grounds, clay, sawdust, and ash collected in the aftermath of California wildfires).

The work of Rael San Fratello insists that architecture is not merely a backdrop for social life, but a medium through which power is both articulated and contested. By the same token, the studio challenges the discipline to imagine more equitable, adaptive, and humane ways of inhabiting the world.

Curated by René Morales

PROJECT DATE: 2026

We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to the exhibition Rael San Fratello: Prototypes and Provocations. Special thanks is extended to YBCA’s Curatorial Initiatives team led by Dorothy Dávila, Chief of Curatorial Initiatives. This team includes Yoni Asega, Associate Director of Exhibition Production; David Tim, Head Preparator, Project Design; and David Prigge, Senior Preparator, who expertly stewarded the budget, fabrication, engineering parameters, and led the skilled preparators to realize this exhibition. O Soo Vegh, Exhibition Manager and Registrar, managed exhibition loan requests and registration needs with grace and rigor. Christa Cesario, Manager of Public Programs, developed and executed programming to accompany this exhibition. And as always, a very special thanks to Logman Arja.