Pre-Columbian archaeology and science fiction collide in the quirky sculptures of Max Lehman, whose current show Ancestral Androids at Hecho a Mano delves into a future past where ancient and modern merge.

The New Mexico-based artist imagines his pieces being excavated by archaeologists centuries later, their origins and purposes lost to time. This echoes the uncertainty of archaeological reconstruction, where civilizations are built from fragments and imagination.

Lehman’s work also reflects on the role of artificial intelligence in shaping our future, wondering what narratives and facts will survive in a thousand years. Yet, he remains rooted in the physical act of making, asserting that no machine can replicate the intuition of human hands.

Vivid characters like The Mother of Machines and Sapphire Sage nod to sacred figures with enigmatic associations, appearing both clownish and unsettling. These sculptures prompt questions about the nature of artificial beings and their potential to leave behind a history that becomes myth.

The exhibition runs until November 1 in Santa Fe, giving visitors a chance to ponder the future that history might become.