For his exhibition "Dead Souls," Richie Budd presents new biomorphic sculptures that suggest meaning through shape and sensation. The forms include multi-sensory devices such as Halloween ghost projectors, sound components, fans that distribute the smell of essential oils, popcorn makers popping, and George Foreman Grills that allow the artist to cook hotdogs. Through these sculptures Budd hopes to entice an affective encounter for gallery visitors that cultivates their future memories. The artist's intention is to coax a S.E.E. (Significant Emotional Event) in the immediate now, causing a direct link between the reference structure of the memory and the experiences in the future.

Budd’s new works are part of his continuing study of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a model of communication and psychotherapy that considers our patterns of behavior and lived experience; essentially how we create our own subjective reality and how our brains have mechanisms in place to help us communicate in particular ways. Budd is interested in hypnosis as a means to uncover the power of the unconscious mind and how this works with the help of human senses. In this context, his sculptures function as a type of sensory tool as he investigates how people organize and communicate their thoughts.

"Dead Souls," Budd’s exhibition title, is a reference to Nikolai Gogol's Russian novel of the same name, a novel known for its satire and reflection on moral behavior. Gogol describes various social encounters between Chichikov, the social-climbing main protagonist, and a vast array of characters; their interactions navigate the past and present, the living and the dead. Interestingly "Dead Souls" is also a title of a song on Joy Division’s 1988 album Substance.