Hardscaping

Hardscaping is on view at Esther Friedel Projects now through December 5, 2026. It's the debut exhibition for the gallery, which is the latest addition to Kansas City's artist-run scene.

The show takes its name from the term hardscaping—the built elements of a landscape, like stone paths or retaining walls—and plays with its dual meanings in construction and art. The work on display does exactly that, working with structure, materials, shapes, frames, and compositions through abstraction, intervention, containment, and transformation. It's the kind of show that keeps you shifting between what you're seeing and what it's pointing toward, blurring the line between realistic representation and conceptualization.

Because it's an artist-run space, it's worth keeping in mind that this is a new spot in the city. The exhibition runs from now through December 5, so you've got a good window to catch it. You can find Esther Friedel Projects at 1901 Park Drive, Kansas City, Kansas 66102.