Sotheby’s LIMITED: Daniel Arsham Brings Fictional Archaeology into Edition Form
Daniel Arsham brings his concept of fictional archaeology to Sotheby’s LIMITED with two new signed editions, Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown.
Sotheby’s LIMITED, a series of exclusive editions created in collaboration with leading contemporary artists and available only through Sotheby’s, continues with Daniel Arsham. The New York-based artist has built a practice around a provocative idea: what happens when the objects of our own time begin to look archaeological? Across fine art, architecture, performance and film, Arsham plays with our sense of when an object belongs.
He calls this idea “fictional archaeology.” Contemporary objects can appear eroded or excavated, as though centuries have passed between their creation and the moment we encounter them. By shifting contemporary imagery outside a fixed moment in time, Arsham allows the past and future to overlap.
For Sotheby’s LIMITED, Arsham introduces two new works, Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown. Developed with LITO Editions as a strategic collaborator, both are signed and numbered LITO Hi-Rnd© prints on paper presented in black aluminium frames. Jungle Sculpture is issued in a limited edition of 50, while Canyons of the Unknown is limited to 25. Selected by Arsham to expand the visual vocabulary of his editions, the works introduce new palettes and imagined landscapes while remaining grounded in the archaeological language central to his practice.
Sotheby’s LIMITED: Daniel Arsham
| Category | What to Know |
|---|---|
| What Is Sotheby's LIMITED | Exclusive editions created in close collaboration with leading contemporary artists and available only through Sotheby’s |
| Featured Artist | Daniel Arsham presents two new works, Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown, extending the archaeological language central to his practice through new palettes and imagined landscapes |
| The Works | Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown present atmospheric scenes suspended between archaeological past and speculative future |
| Production | Created in close collaboration with the artist and produced and co-published with LITO Editions using proprietary LITO Hi-Rnd© technology |
| Edition Size | Jungle Sculpture is limited to 50, while Canyons of the Unknown is issued in a smaller edition of 25 |
| Medium and Materials | LITO Hi-Rnd© prints on paper, presented in black aluminium frames and developed to capture the texture, relief and material presence of Arsham’s paintings |
| Collector Appeal | Signed and numbered by Daniel Arsham, available exclusively through Sotheby’s |
Daniel Arsham: Fictional Archaeology and an Imagined Future
Daniel Arsham has spent much of his career making the present look as though it has already become history. A contemporary object can appear excavated from another era. Human figures show signs of erosion. Architecture seems to shift or fracture, challenging the permanence we usually associate with the built environment. Time, in Arsham’s work, becomes a material to manipulate rather than an idea to represent.
Central to this approach is what the artist calls “fictional archaeology.” Instead of looking backward to reconstruct a lost civilization, Arsham imagines how our own material culture might appear from the vantage point of an unknown future. Objects associated with recent history take on the appearance of artifacts, separated from the moment that once made them current.
Material plays an important role in making that imagined passage of time believable. Arsham has used geological substances including sand, selenite and volcanic ash to create works that appear eroded or transformed by processes far older than the objects themselves. The contradiction is deliberate: something culturally recent can look geologically ancient. That collision gives his sculptures much of their tension and allows nostalgia to operate in less predictable ways.
Arsham’s background also helps explain why his practice moves so comfortably between objects and environments. Working across fine art, architecture, performance and film, he has approached space as something that can be altered as readily as an individual sculpture. His work has been presented internationally at institutions including the Musée Guimet in Paris, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in China, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the Cranbrook Art Museum, with additional presentations at MoMA PS1, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the National Gallery of Victoria Triennial.
With Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown, Arsham carries this interest in uncertain chronology into imagined landscapes. The archaeological idea remains, but the perspective widens. Instead of encountering a single displaced object, the viewer enters an environment whose history is deliberately unresolved. That shift provides the foundation for his first Sotheby’s LIMITED release.
Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown: Daniel Arsham Expands His Archaeological World
For Sotheby’s LIMITED, Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown expand Arsham’s archaeological language into two atmospheric landscapes. Rather than isolating an artifact for examination, these works build a world around it. Terrain and depth invite the viewer to navigate each landscape, while carefully structured compositions draw the eye through the scene. What happened here—and when—remains open.
That uncertainty is intentional. Arsham has long blurred distinctions between archaeological past and speculative future, and these works resist settling into either. Their landscapes can appear ancient and futuristic at once. New palettes extend the visual vocabulary of Arsham’s editions, using color to shape the mood of each work.
The effect is cinematic. The viewer is positioned within a larger narrative space, left to imagine what might have preceded the scene or what could follow it. That shift gives the two editions a different relationship to Arsham’s fictional archaeology: the mystery now extends across an entire landscape.
Jungle Sculpture measures approximately 31.49 by 44.53 inches and is issued in a limited edition of 50, while Canyons of the Unknown measures approximately 39.37 by 53.98 inches and is limited to 25. Both are signed and numbered by Arsham. Together, the editions extend his idea of the “future relic” beyond the individual object, allowing an entire landscape to carry the same uncertainty.
Translating Daniel Arsham’s Painted Worlds into Edition Form
Arsham’s work often depends on creating something that feels physically altered by time. In Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown, that idea is carried through landscape and atmosphere, making depth and surface important to how the scenes are experienced. Translating these qualities into edition form required attention to the material presence of the image as well as its composition.
Produced using LITO’s proprietary Hi-Rnd© technology, the editions bring together texture, relief, color and surface on paper. The process adds tactile depth to Arsham’s compositions, reinforcing landscapes already structured around foreground, distance and perspective.
Rather than recreating the geological materials associated with Arsham’s sculpture, Hi-Rnd© provides a different material vocabulary for the editions. Relief and surface reinforce the sense of space within each scene while retaining qualities of the paintings from which the editions developed.
Developed with LITO Editions as a strategic collaborator, Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown are presented in black aluminium frames. The finished works bring Arsham’s exploration of uncertain chronology into a format where image and surface work together, giving the landscapes a material presence of their own.
Why Editions Matter in Today’s Art Market
Editions give artists an opportunity to carry ideas from their broader practice into a format designed to exist in multiples. They can also extend that practice through material and production choices developed specifically for the edition.
That distinction matters with Arsham. Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown are new works selected by the artist for this release rather than reproductions of existing works. Their imagery, palettes and production approach connect to his broader practice while establishing their own place within it.
Collecting an edition is also distinct from acquiring a unique work; one does not need to substitute for the other. The artist’s involvement, choice of imagery, production process and edition size all shape how an edition relates to the broader practice. Both works were created in close collaboration with Arsham and are signed and numbered by the artist.
Issued in editions of 50 and 25 respectively, Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown enter the primary market as new additions to Arsham’s body of work and are available exclusively through Sotheby’s LIMITED.
The Quality and Craftsmanship Behind Sotheby’s LIMITED
A defining aspect of Sotheby’s LIMITED is the attention given to how each artist’s work translates into edition form. Material and production decisions respond to the individual artist rather than following one formula across every release.
Working with LITO Editions as a strategic collaborator, Sotheby’s LIMITED combines artist involvement with LITO’s technical expertise and proprietary Hi-Rnd© technology. Surface, relief and other material effects can be adapted according to the needs of each work, allowing the production process to respond to the artist’s practice.
That distinction becomes clear across previous releases. Kehinde Wiley’s portraiture incorporated mirrored surfaces and engraved details, while Oscar Murillo’s Mango emphasized qualities associated with his early “word paintings.” Peter Halley’s Rebus I and Rebus IV translated the texture and fluorescent color of his Cell Grid paintings into edition form, while Raymond Pettibon’s wave imagery used anodized and mirrored aluminium.
Arsham’s release takes another direction. Here, texture and relief support depth and atmosphere, giving physical dimension to landscapes conceived to draw the viewer through an imagined world. The technique changes because the artist changes.
What connects these releases is the approach rather than a single technique. Each Sotheby’s LIMITED edition is developed in close collaboration with the artist, with production decisions shaped around the work itself. The editions are then signed and numbered before release.
Collecting Sotheby’s LIMITED
Sotheby’s LIMITED offers collectors access to works developed closely with leading contemporary artists, co-published with LITO Editions and available exclusively through Sotheby’s. Each release is signed and numbered, with production decisions and edition size determined in relation to the individual project.
With Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown, Daniel Arsham moves fictional archaeology beyond the isolated future relic and into imagined landscapes. Their imagery and tactile surfaces give the works their own identity while connecting them to the questions of time that run throughout his practice.
The works mark Arsham’s first release for Sotheby’s LIMITED and bring a new expression of his fictional archaeology into edition form.
FAQs: Sotheby’s LIMITED and Daniel Arsham
What is Sotheby’s LIMITED?
Sotheby’s LIMITED is a series of exclusive editions created in collaboration with leading contemporary artists and available only through Sotheby’s. Each release is signed and numbered, with production decisions shaped around the artist’s practice.
How limited are Daniel Arsham’s Sotheby’s LIMITED editions?
Jungle Sculpture is issued in an edition of 50, while Canyons of the Unknown is limited to 25. Both works are signed and numbered by Daniel Arsham and available exclusively through Sotheby’s.
Are Daniel Arsham’s Sotheby’s LIMITED works original editions?
Yes. Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown are new editions developed in close collaboration with Arsham rather than reproductions of existing works.
What are Daniel Arsham’s LIMITED editions made from?
Both works are LITO Hi-Rnd© prints on paper presented in black aluminium frames. LITO’s proprietary Hi-Rnd© technology introduces texture and relief, adding physical depth to the compositions.
What does “fictional archaeology” mean in Daniel Arsham’s work?
“Fictional archaeology” describes Arsham’s approach to imagining objects and environments as though viewed from another time. His work blurs distinctions between past, present and future, often making contemporary subjects appear excavated or displaced.
What makes Sotheby’s LIMITED different from traditional print editions?
Sotheby’s LIMITED releases are developed directly with participating artists and produced specifically for the program. Materials and production methods vary according to the work rather than following a single approach across releases. Editions are available exclusively through Sothey's.
Buy Sotheby's LIMITED
Whether you are expanding an established collection of Daniel Arsham's work or acquiring one of his editions for the first time, Sotheby’s offers a trusted and seamless way to buy LIMITED exclusive editions.
Why Choose Sotheby’s?
- Exclusively Available Through Sotheby’s
Sotheby’s LIMITED editions are developed in close collaboration with leading contemporary artists and released in tightly controlled edition sizes. For the latest release in the series, Daniel has created Jungle Sculpture and Canyons of the Unknown, issued in limited editions of 50 and 25. - Exceptional Quality
Produced in close collaboration with the artist and published by LITO Editions, each work uses LITO Hi-Rnd© technology to bring texture, relief, color and surface detail into edition form. The works are produced on paper and presented in black aluminium frames, signed and numbered by Arsham, and developed with close attention to material presence and the artist’s visual language. - A Flexible Way to Buy
For collectors interested in works by artists such as Daniel Arsham, Sotheby’s LIMITED presents a rare opportunity to acquire signed and numbered works connected to important contemporary artistic practices, available exclusively through Sotheby’s Buy Now marketplace. - Priority Access Through the Sotheby's LIMITED Patron Program
Collectors who acquire LIMITED editions by two distinct artists may become eligible for the Sotheby’s LIMITED Patron Program, which provides patrons with opportunities for priority access to future releases. Priority status may increase as collectors support a broader group of participating artists, with all allocations subject to availability and Sotheby’s discretion.
Ready to Get Started?
- Shop Buy Now for immediate access to available Daniel Arsham exclusive editions from Sotheby's LIMITED
- Learn more about the Sotheby's LIMITED Patron Program and eligibility for priority access to future LIMITED releases.
- Explore upcoming Contemporary Art auctions in New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong.
- Speak with a Contemporary Art Specialist to consign or request a valuation for your Daniel Arsham artwork.
Trust our worldwide team of leading contemporary art specialists at a globally renowned auction house established in 1744.
