We are very pleased to exclusively present an installation by James Turrell from the new series «The Circular Glass». Conceived for an everyday architectural environment, these spectacular works enable a visual and sensory experience of light as was previously reserved for larger installations by the artist. The unique pieces in this series are akin to the «Small Glass» series from 2016, which has attracted great attention from collectors and a broad public. The «Circular Glasses» too are individually programmed using the latest LED technology. Their physical structure relates to Turrell's «Shallow Space Constructions» from the late 1960s and early 1970s. The artist thus continues his long-standing exploration of the technological opportunities in relation to sensory perception practices and invites the viewer to a meditative experience.
Each «Circular Glass» fascinates by deploying the captivating effect of light on a plane surface. Observing this breathtaking play of light, the two-dimensional plane transforms into an indefinable depth in which the gaze can loose itself. As typical for James Turrell’s work, the «Circular Glasses» thus challenge the viewers perception of light and space.
Facing a «Circular Glass», the viewer perceives a circular plane of light that, unlike a projection, seems to be dense and permeable at the same time and that changes its colors in a gradual flow. The color gradient is reminiscent of an animated atmospheric painting in which colors drift from the center to the edges. At times, a single blue, green, or purple hue floods the plane before imploding into a different color. A new aura-like circle forms and radiates outwards in different gradations, as the process begins anew. The sheet of glass is set behind a cut-out section of wall but is not level with it: a Small gap remains, a narrow spatial zone that provides an additional dimension of depth. Each of the dominant colors in turn radiates out over the sharp edges of the circular opening and into the environing space, contaminating the walls and floor.
