Internal Migration is a contemporary installation by Bennie Flores Ansell that explores migration as an internal experience rather than a purely physical journey. Through sculptural forms, light, and architectural objects, the exhibition reflects on movement, transition, and the ways change is carried within the body and built environment. 

The central installation features suspended sculptural elements derived from the artist’s own anatomy, repeated to create a rhythmic, architectural presence. These forms suggest moments of tension, resilience, and transformation, echoing experiences of movement, adaptation, and growth. 

Complementary light-based works activate the surrounding space through color and reflection, shifting with viewer movement and changing light conditions. The result is an immersive environment that feels dynamic, flexible, and responsive. Anchoring the exhibition are sculptural display cases constructed from wood and glass that function as abstract archives. Referencing systems of structure, labor, and storage, they emphasize presence and absence without relying on literal imagery.  

Together, Internal Migration offers a visually compelling, adaptable installation that resonates with themes of transition, identity, and transformation, making it well suited for contemporary real estate and public facing environments.  

The installation will remain on view through April 23.

About the Artist:  

Bennie Flores Ansell (b. 1967, Manila, Philippines) is a Houston based artist whose photography-based installations merge light, sculpture, and spatial interventions to explore migration and movement. Her work often employs repetition, projection, and deconstructed photographic forms, treating migration as a lived, embodied experience and revealing moments of beauty held within transition.  

She has participated in residencies and fellowships at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, the Houston Center for Photography, the Asia Society Museum’s Artists on Site program, and the American Photography Institute at New York University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at venues including the International Center of Photography, the Daegu Photography Biennale, FotoFest Biennial, Seattle Museum of Art, Lawndale Art Center, Blaffer Museum, Project Row Houses, and Uno Art Space in Stuttgart. 

Ansell’s public art projects include The Alief Swarm for the Alief Community Center and commissions for the Houston Arts Alliance and the University of Houston. She holds an MFA in Photography from the University of Houston and a BA in Photography from the University of South Florida.