A fantastical force is coursing through White Cube Bermondsey’s South Gallery, which is hosting new works by the Welsh conceptual artist Cerith Wyn Evans this autumn.
The artist found an inspirational spark in the flow of energy in conduits (both material and immaterial), circuitry and choreology. To that end, the site-specific intervention comprises a dazzling ballet of neon pieces, spinning palm trees, a sound sculpture and a Morse code lighting installation.
Taking centre stage, an arrangement of three neon sculptures cuts vividly through air, borrowing movements from traditional Japanese Noh theatre (opens in new tab). These new works hark back to Evans’ earlier sculptures, tracing a complex medley of gestures, motions and shapes in light.
A fourth neon piece, The Illuminating Gas…(after Oculist Witnesses), uses Marcel Duchamp’s The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (1915-23) as a springboard. A skewed trio of vast neon discs echoes Duchamp’s artwork (opens in new tab), projecting it into multi-dimensional objects.
Meanwhile, an otherworldly soundtrack reverberates through the space, emitted from a large sculpture made up of 19 ‘breathing’ glass flutes. Each flute, connected to a long tube suspended from the ceiling, is mechanically operated, exhaling a breath-like sound. In an adjacent corridor, the artist has hacked one of the existing light fixtures to broadcast a message in Morse code, narrating the transit of the moon during a solar eclipse.
Palm trees, perched atop rotating on turntables, punctuate the space. These tropical carousels conjure an unexpected natural counterpoint to the stark, artificial glow of the neon sculptures – just one of Evans’ many bright ideas.
'Neon Forms (after Noh I)', by Cerith Wyn Evans, 2015.
The site-specific intervention comprises a dazzling ballet of neon works, spinning palm trees, a sound sculpture and a Morse code lighting installation.
INFORMATION
Cerith Wyn Evans’ exhibition runs until 15 November 2015
ADDRESS
White Cube Bermondsey (opens in new tab)
South Galleries
144-152 Bermondsey Street
London SE1 3TQ
VIEW GOOGLE MAPS (opens in new tab)
-
On, the sportswear brand on a mission to change the way you moveWallpaper* visits On’s new Zurich HQ to discover the story behind one of the world’s fastest-growing sportswear brands
-
Brit Awards 2023 trophy design by Slawn highlights opportunity, gratitude and celebration
Chosen to design the Brit Awards 2023 trophy, Nigeria-born visual artist Slawn is making strides, and has collaborations with Virgil Abloh and Skepta under his belt
-
Design podcasts to discover: creative giants share smalltalk and big ideas
Listen to the best design podcasts by creators, curators and journalists shining a spotlight on different areas of the design practice
-
White Cube at Arley Hall: contemporary sculpture meets the English country house garden
White Cube’s first outdoor sculpture exhibition puts the work of 12 modern and contemporary artists, including Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley and Danh Vo, on view in the grounds of Cheshire’s Arley Hall
-
Wang Gongxin at White Cube: hidden cameras, eerie minimalism and grey matter
Wang Gongxin’s show at White Cube Mason’s Yard explores cultural polarities and in-between states through 13 captivating new multimedia works
-
Meet emerging artists from Oppo Renovators 2021 Project
Technology innovator Oppo announces the winners of its Renovators 2021 emerging artists project and says, ‘Everyone can be, and is, an artist’
-
Theaster Gates: London, urban reform and exemplars of Black excellence
The American artist and urban planner returns to London for a cultural takeover on a grand scale, and – as one of five visionaries invited to nominate creative leaders of the future for ‘5x5’, Wallpaper’s 25th anniversary project – picks five exemplars of Black excellence leading the way for social and creative change
-
Architectural futurism and urban ‘nudity’: Liu Wei at White Cube
What is urban space without bodies? Chinese artist Liu Wei describes his eerie exploration of deserted cityscapes at White Cube Bermondsey
-
Cerith Wyn Evans puts the concept of mechanism through its paces in White Cube show
The Welsh artist’s latest exhibition is a captivating continuation of his exploration of transcendence, translation and temporality
-
Jeff Wall’s monumental photographs loom large at White Cube
Renowned for his meticulously composed tableaux, the Canadian artist strikes out in a new direction at the London gallery
-
Sarah Morris cuts through the noise at White Cube
It’s a homecoming of sorts for the Kent-born, New York-based artist, who debuts new paintings and her first ever sculptural work at the gallery’s Bermondsey space
