Peter Alexander
Larry Bell
Ron Cooper
Mary Corse
Robert Irwin
Craig Kauffman
John McCracken
Bruce Nauman
Eric Orr
Helen Pashgian
James Turrell
De Wain Valentine
Doug Wheeler
Michael Auping
Stephanie Hanor
Adrian Kohn
Dawna Schuld
California Light, Space, Surface. Whether by directing the flow of natural light, embedding artificial light within objects or architecture, or by playing with light through the use of transparent, translucent or reflective materials, these artists each made perception itself the subject of their work. In addition to artworks, which literally claim the entire space of the room, the exhibition features a number of pieces that function as prisms or mirrors to activate their surrounding space. Combining key works from the Museum's collection with major loans from prominent public and private collections, the exhibition includes immersive light installations together with rare, ephemeral, and site-conditioned works, some seen for the first time in decades.
Featured Artists:
Peter Alexander,
Larry Bell,
Ron Cooper,
Mary Corse,
Robert Irwin,
Craig Kauffman,
John McCracken,
Bruce Nauman,
Eric Orr,
Helen Pashgian,
James Turrell,
De Wain Valentine,
Doug Wheeler
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is pleased to announce its
most ambitious exhibition to date, Phenomenal: California Light,
Space, Surface. This exhibition is on view at the Museum's La Jolla
and downtown San Diego locations from September 25, 2011 through
January 22, 2012.
In the 1960s and 70s, light became a primary medium for a
loosely-affiliated group of artists working in Los Angeles. Whether by
directing the flow of natural light, embedding artificial light within
objects or architecture, or by playing with light through the use of
transparent, translucent or reflective materials, these artists each
made perception itself the subject of their work. Key examples of this
approach include immersive environments by Bruce Nauman and Eric Orr,
each of which each produce extreme retinal responses; the otherworldly
glow of a Doug Wheeler light environment; a spatially perplexing light
piece from James Turrell's Wedgework series, and the subtle sculpting
of space with natural light by Robert Irwin.
In addition to artworks, which literally claim the entire space of
the room, the exhibition features a number of pieces that function as
prisms or mirrors to activate their surrounding space. The properties
of glass are explored in Larry Bell's glass cubes and in paintings by
Mary Corse which are embedded with tiny glass microbeads. The luminous
and prismatic effects of cast or vacuum-formed resins and plastics are
demonstrated with exceptional works by Peter Alexander, Ron Cooper,
Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman, Helen Pashgian and De Wain Valentine.
Lush pigmentation and supreme reflectivity combine in John McCracken's
lacquered sculptures to create bold objects which paradoxically melt
into their environment by acting as mirrors.
Combining key works from the Museum's collection with major loans
from prominent public and private collections, the exhibition includes
immersive light installations together with rare, ephemeral, and
site-conditioned works, some seen for the first time in decades.
Phenomenal is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated 250-page
scholarly catalogue co-published by MCASD and University of California
Press. The first critical reader on this topic, the Phenomenal book is
a key addition to literature on art made in Los Angeles during the
vibrant decades of the 1960s and 70s. The book is edited by Robin
Clark.
Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface is part of Pacific
Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945–1980. This unprecedented
collaboration, initiated by the Getty, brings together more than sixty
cultural institutions from across Southern California for six months
beginning October 2011 to tell the story of the birth of the Los
Angeles art scene and how it became a major new force in the art
world. Pacific Standard Time is an initiative of the Getty. The
presenting sponsor is Bank of America.
Phenomenal is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
and has been made possible thanks to a major grant from the Getty
Foundation. The project has also received generous grants from the
Henry Luce Foundation for American Art and the Farrell Family
Foundation. Additional support for the project comes from Faye Hunter
Russell, Brent Woods and Laurie Mitchell, and the National Endowment
for the Arts.
Symposium, November 5, 11 AM
Phenomenal catalogue contributors Michael Auping, Stephanie Hanor,
Adrian Kohn, and Dawna Schuld will join MCASD Curator Robin Clark, Tom
Learner from the Getty Conservation Institute and Andrew Perchuk from
the Getty Research Institute for a discussion of the discoveries
growing from their research for Phenomenal and related Pacific
Standard Time exhibitions.
Image:James Turrell, Stuck Red and Stuck Blue, 1970, construction materials and fluorescent lights, overall dimensions: 33 x 40 x 33 in., Collection Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Museum Purchase, Elizabeth W. Russell Foundation Funds. © James Turrell. Photo by Philipp Scholz Rittermann.
Press Contact:
Leah Masterson; lmasterson@mcasd.org
Press Preview:
September 23, 3 PM
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla
700 Prospect Street La Jolla, CA 92037-4291
Hours:
11 AM – 5 PM Thursday through Tuesday,
11 AM – 7 PM Third Thursday of the Month,
Closed Wednesday
Admission:
General Admission $10,
Military/Seniors $5*,
Students 26 and over (with ID) $5,
25 and under Free (with ID)