The human race is walking a metaphorical tightrope, according to the Ethiopian artist Elias Sime. On one side: the progress that comes with technological advances. On the other: the abyss that is mass extinction. How does Sime manifest this tightrope? His colorful tableaus—as eerie as they are cheerful— are made up of repurposed materials such as computer keyboards, electrical wires, and motherboards. The layers are intricate, drawing attention to e-waste, interconnectivity, and the classic opposition of man versus the man-made. —E.C.

Traveling to: Akron Art Museum in Akron, Ohio (February 29—May 24, 2020), Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri (June 11—September 13, 2020), and Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada (October 24, 2020—February 21, 2021).