Special Exhibition: James Turrell - Light, Space and the Art of Perception

“We eat light, drink it through our skins. With a little more exposure to light, you feel part of things physically. I like the power of light and space physically because then you can order it materially. Seeing is a very sensuous act – there’s a sweet deliciousness to feeling yourself see something.” – James Turrell (“James Turrell: A Retrospective”, LACMA, 2014)

Vancouver is set to pulse with the rhythm of radiant luminance as CICA Vancouver (Vancouver Centre of International Contemporary Art) unveils the exhibition James Turrell – Light, Space and The Art of Perception. A titan in contemporary art, American artist James Turrell’s (b. 1943) works redefine the interaction of light and human perception, and have been nothing short of revolutionary. This eagerly anticipated immersive exhibition promises to be a visual delight, bringing together a comprehensive collection of his works that have enthralled audiences worldwide. From December 1st, 2023, through February 18th, 2024, the city will witness, for the first time, the celestial choreography of this master of illumination.

Informed by perceptual psychology, Turrell’s journey began in the 1960s in his Ocean Park studio in California. Here, groundbreaking works like Afrum-Proto (1966) and Mendota Stoppages (1969–74) emerged, utilizing planes of light in intricate dialogues with architecture. These pioneering concepts paved the way for his present-day masterpieces, where light stands not just as a medium but as a message, an entity with form and structure.

Central to the CICA exhibition is Turrell’s most recent “Glass Series,” which he embarked upon in 2001. Evolving from his “Shallow Space Constructions” from the late 1960s and early 1970s, where he created architectural space that doesn’t exist with light and plain museum walls, this series melds the latest LED technology with his longstanding fascination for sensory experiences. These installations serve as luminous labyrinths, interplaying depth and flatness, challenging and reshaping our spatial perceptions. The “Glass Series” also incorporates a temporal aspect which invites visitors to bathe in a slow gradual change of gradient colours, and to witness a seemingly two-dimensional plane metamorphose into a depth so profound that one’s gaze may get absorbed into infinity.

Supplementing these “Glass Series” installations, the exhibition casts its net wider into the vast ocean of Turrell’s practices, featuring selected two-dimensional works and drawings that underscore Turrell’s multifaceted exploration of light across diverse mediums. A notable highlight will be the documentation of his monumental “Roden Crater” initiative. Commenced in the late 1970s, this 20-chamber masterpiece, constructed inside a volcano in Northern Arizona’s Painted Desert region, epitomizes Turrell’s lifelong investigation of light, seeing and psychological perception. While the crater remains a work-in-progress and is currently closed to the public, exhibition visitors will get a glimpse into this monumental endeavour that bridges earthly realms with the celestial.

“Turrell’s philosophy and methodologies challenge us to confront and understand our own processes of perception; he proposed ‘a way of seeing’ that you have to experience and breathe in yourself. Hosting this exhibition is an immense honour; it’s a commitment to reshaping the discourse on contemporary art in Vancouver.” – Curator, Viahsta Yuan

About the Artist

For more than forty-five years, James Turrell has explored the myriad possibilities of using light as a medium of perception. His formally simple works draw attention to the limits of seeing while seeking to expand the wordless thought that they provoke. Throughout these permutations, the light that is normally used to illuminate other things is assigned form and structure, making it the subject of the revelation. Since pursuing studies in perceptual psychology during the 1960s, Turrell has been exploring a variety of perceptual phenomena, ranging from sensory deprivation to intense optical effects. Early works such as Afrum-Proto (1966) and the Mendota Stoppages (1969–1974), which employed planes of light in relation to architecture, became the basis for ongoing investigations. He continues to use light as his primary subject and material, with its inherent allusions to painting and sculpture.

James Turrell was born in 1943 in Los Angeles, California. He received his B.A. in 1965 from Pomona College, California, and his M.A. in 1973 from Claremont Graduate School, California. Recent solo exhibitions include “Infinite Light,” Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona (2001); Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich (2001–02); Hausler Kulturemanagement, Munich (2001–02); National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (2002); “Light and Land,” Sonoma County Museum, California (2003–04); Kunsthaus Zug, Switzerland (2003–04); Institute Valencia d’Art Modern, Spain (2004–05); “Alta White,” Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (2006); Musee de Grenoble, France (2006); “A Life in Light,” Louise T Blouin Institute, London (2006–07); “The Roden Crater Project by James Turrell,” University IUAV of Venezia, Italy (2007); “Beyond the Light,” Villa and Collection Panza, Italy (2008); Oroom Gallery, Seoul Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (2008, traveled to Musee Shuim, Korea); “The Wolfsburg Project,” Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany (2009–10); Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow (2011); Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, Colorado Springs (2012); Art Academy Museum, Maryland (2013); Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California (2013); “The Light Inside,” Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2013); Guggenheim Museum, New York (2013); “Gard Blue,” Spencer Museum of Art, The University of Kansas, Lawrence (2013–14); and The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (2014, traveled to National Gallery of Australia, Canberra).

Credit

This exhibition is supported by the Gagosian Gallery, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami), and the Vancouver Art Gallery.