The “thing-ness” of light is Turrell’s idea that light isn’t just a way to illuminate objects, but an object itself. Using his background in psychology and mathematics, he tests the boundaries between art and science, carefully exploring and manipulating the way people’s eyes and brains process light and space, a somewhat unusual combination in the world of art.Įxperiments on how beams of light can transform depth perception and give the illusion of a three dimensional entity in a room culminated from Turrell’s pursuit of a master’s degree in art. On a basic level, he’s playing with the science of how we perceive the world, using his knowledge of our retinal structure and visual system to manipulate what we think we are “seeing”. References have been made on Turrell’s work as psychedelic (in which he responded that “it’s actually much better on drugs”) which is what makes his form of light art so ungraspable. Creating tricks using light as a medium to play on his audience’s sensibilities, he is a curator of carefully controlled experiments that are detectable by sight but not the other senses – “as a young man I had a bit of a chip on my shoulder and went directly to what I wanted to do, that was work that was not about light, but actually was light.” (Turrell, 2006). They didn’t look quite carefully enough.” (Turrell, 2006).īorn in 1943, he first came to prominence in the mid-1960s introducing art as an experience in perception rather than a tangible object and is one of a generation of West Coast artists associated with the ‘California Light and Space Movement’. Turrell was once sued by a spectator who leaned on one of his works and fell into a void – “I have had reviews by people who thought I painted, somewhat unevenly, on the wall – they didn’t realise there was an entire space behind there, 18 feet deep. On May 29 Skyspace opens, joining Into the Light and making MASS MoCA the only North American institution offering a comprehensive overview of James Turrell’s career.James Turrell, an American artist who works with the refractory medium of light, exploits how our mind processes images to reveal that at a fundamental level everything we see is an illusion. This exhibition features a major work from each decade of the artist’s career. Wilson Building - with galleries designed and constructed specially to best accentuate his installations. A pioneer in the Southern California Light and Space movement, MASS MoCA presents a multi-decade retrospective of Turrell’s work in B6: The Robert W. His practice has been shaped by the ongoing manipulation of architecture, framing and altering the way viewers engage with the environment.
Turrell began using light as a sculptural medium in 1966, painting the windows of his studio in Santa Monica to seal off the natural light and experimenting with projections. Squares of sky seem to float, suspended, in ceilings or walls architecture disintegrates and brilliant geometric shapes levitate in midair. His sculptures and architectural interventions elevate our experience and perception of light and space. Sign up here In James Turrell’s hands, light is more than simply a source of illumination: it is a discrete, physical object.
For Perfectly Clear, kids 6-12 need to hold the hand of an adult while inside the installation. Please note, kids must be 6 and older to enter James Turrell’s Perfectly Clear and Hind Sight. We will allow only a limited number of visitors at a time within the entire exhibition, and each group will have 45 minutes to experience the 9 installations. Be sure to make an advanced reservation to visit James Turrell: Into the Light.