Carl Cheng (b. 1942, San Francisco; lives in Santa Monica) first developed his art practice in Southern California in the 1960s amid political unrest, an interdisciplinary art scene, a booming postwar aerospace industry, and rapid transformation of the landscape. Having studied both fine art and industrial design, his ever-evolving body of work engages with environmental change, the relevance of art institutions to their publics, and the role of technology in society.

In 1966, he began working under the name John Doe Co., and from then on created sculptural “products” that reflect his conception of technology as an artistic tool. Originally recognized for his photographic sculptures, his inventive lexicon includes “art tools” employed in the production of ephemeral artworks, “nature machines” that anticipate an artificial world shaped by humans, kinetic installations, and public art intended to reach broad audiences.

Entitled Nature Never Loses, this definitive publication surveys six decades of Cheng’s prescient, genre-defying work, and accompanies the exhibition of the same name organized by The Contemporary Austin. Generously illustrated, it offers a guide to Cheng’s career, including a detailed overview of artworks, new comprehensive essays, a detailed timeline, and an abundance of never-before-seen archival material. Designed by Studio Lin, it features contributions from Carl Cheng, Joel Ferree, Alex Klein, Gloria Sutton, Celien Govaerts, Andres Pardey, Amanda Sroka, and Rachel Eboh.

Published with The Contemporary Austin, to accompany the exhibition that opened in Austin and is touring to the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Bonnefanten, Maastricht; Museum Tinguely, Basel; and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2024–2027).

This book has received The Most Beautiful Swiss Books 2025 Award.