While the largest of the floor sculptures, A.G.F. x 12 (2024) fits within this system of shapes, its various facets disrupt the show’s otherwise subdued color palette with the red, black, white, and green of the Palestinian flag. In an art world that has not hesitated to censor voices advocating for an end to the siege of Gaza and for Palestinian liberation, Pansa’s choice to include these colors is a brave political statement.

Placed on a platform whose lavender color was once a slur as well as a covert signal of queerness, the gesture also speaks to the dangers of visibility, which can bring as much violence as positive change.

In this light, seemingly formal choices such as the repeated grid and alphanumeric titles can be seen as guides that provide structure whether or not meaning is revealed. The mystery and indeterminacy that suffuses Pansa’s work is not indicative of a lack of depth. Rather, it shields what is most vulnerable.

It feels particularly fitting that Pansa has used chain mail and stained glass in these pieces, both centuries-old craft techniques that evoke histories of protection and faith as well as pain and judgment. Imagers reminds us that we have always found ways to express our complex humanity — no matter how much that humanity feels at odds with a world of binary definitions.

‘Imagers’ is on view at Et al. (2831A Mission St., San Francisco) through July 20, 2024.