Seeing the light: James Turrell unveils new work at Kayne Griffin Corcoran in LA

To speak of James Turrell’s 'vision' is almost besides the point. In the artist’s work, our perception is both the singular experience and its transcendence, the ocular sense given back to us in the form of immersion. He has said that his pieces have 'no object, no image and no focus'; that what we’re looking at, instead of visual information, is the flat-out marvel of our eyes, still working, and enough light - sometimes barely enough light, as much light as we need - for us to really see.
'My first encounter with a Turrell work was a visit to a private Skyspace in Los Angeles,' recalls Maggie Kayne of the contemporary art gallery Kayne Griffin Corcoran, which recently opened its fifth exhibition of Turrell’s work. 'It was transformative in a way that affected the way that I looked at art in the future as something that is to be experienced deeply as well as enjoyed visually.'
At the Kayne Griffin Corcoran exhibition, which debuted a day after Turrell was honored at LACMA’s 2015 Art + Film Gala and just weeks after the hip-hop artist Drake released a video deeply influenced by Turrell’s work, the artist presented several new wall works: elliptical glass pieces, each in their own room, that slowly change colour over the course of three hours. As much has been written about Turrell’s gathering and mastery of light, his medium might also be time, that particular challenge of holding attention. At Kayne Griffin Corcoran, for which Turrell designed the conference room, as well as the outdoor courtyard and skylights, even routine meetings are surrounded in 'wonderful changing light,' Kayne says, though she notes that her favourite time in the gallery’s Skyspace is 'sunset, of course.'
Other pieces in the show depict the many phases of 'Aten Reign,' Turrell’s 2013 installation at the Guggenheim museum in New York. In their elliptical shapes, too, the prints echo aspects of the artist’s ambitious magnum opus Roden Crater, an extinct volcano on which he began work in 1974. 'I'm amazed by his vision which is singular in our contemporary art world. The fact that he is realising such an ambitious project such as Roden Crater attests to his vision and tenacity,' Kayne says. 'I think that the works in this exhibition which consist of elliptically shaped planes of subtly changing coloured light relate directly to the Roden Crater in that the ellipse is a repeated shape there. As James says, ‘nature loves the ellipse.'
The exhibition presents several new wall works: elliptical glass pieces, each in their own room, that slowly change colour over the course of three hours
INFORMATIONWebsite
’James Turrell’ is on view till 16 January 2016
Photography courtesy Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles
ADDRESS
Kayne Griffin Corcoran
1201 South La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
12 photographers vie for Prix Pictet 2025, lenses firmly focused on sustainability
Prix Pictet is the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability. Here’s how the 2025 shortlist responded to this cycle’s theme, ‘Storm’
-
The Standard, Brussels makes a stylish case for work-life balance
This playful yet polished city escape blends global flair, local flavour, and rooftop views worth lingering over
-
In Brazil’s Minas Gerais, Casa Koba is an ‘unserious’ house full of freedom and comfort
A relaxed, high-altitude home is Estudio Haa's latest residential project; welcome to Casa Koba, a house designed for comfort and fun
-
Architect Erin Besler is reframing the American tradition of barn raising
At Art Omi sculpture and architecture park, NY, Besler turns barn raising into an inclusive project that challenges conventional notions of architecture
-
The dynamic young gallerists reinvigorating America's art scene
'Hugging has replaced air kissing' in this new wave of galleries with craft and community at their core
-
Meet the New York-based artists destabilising the boundaries of society
A new show in London presents seven young New York-based artists who are pushing against the borders between refined aesthetics and primal materiality
-
Mystic, feminine and erotic: the power of Penny Slinger’s bodies as landscape
Artist Penny Slinger continues her exploration of the sacred, surreal feminine in a Santa Monica exhibition, ‘Meeting at the Horizon’
-
Photographer Geordie Wood takes a leap of faith with first film, Divers
Geordie Wood delved into the world of professional diving in Fort Lauderdale for his first film
-
New book celebrates 100 years of New York City landmarks where LGBTQ+ history took place
Marc Zinaman’s ‘Queer Happened Here: 100 Years of NYC’s Landmark LGBTQ+ Places’ is a vital tribute to queer culture
-
A major Takashi Murakami exhibition sees the world in kaleidoscopic colour
The Cleveland Art Museum presents 'Takashi Murakami 'Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow', exploring outrage and escapist fantasy
-
Ai Weiwei’s new public installation is coming soon to Four Freedoms State Park
‘Camouflage’ by Ai Weiwei will launch the inaugural Art X Freedom project in September 2025, a new programme to investigate social justice and freedom