13 jan 2020

James Turrell: the master of light dazzles the Gagosian Gallery

A major figure in contemporary art, the master of light James Turrell unveils some of his latest works at the Gagosian Gallery, including new installations that lose the viewer in their meanders of colour.

James Turrell: the master of light returns to Paris

Few artists can boast of the status of “legend of contemporary art”, but James Turrell is one of them. A great representative of the Light and Space movement – born in California in the 60s – the American owes his worldwide success for six decades to his striking and ultra-sensory installations, playing with color to shake up perception and create unique experiences. At 81 years old, the “master of light” benefits from a major solo show at Gagosian, in Paris. A significant event, as the artist’s last museum exhibition in the French capital dates back to 2006, at the Centre Pompidou.

The Californian’s impact is such that it has created tourist sites all over the world. Since 1974, its Skyspaces, famous human-sized capsules bathed in coloured light and open to the sky, have been sprouting up like mushrooms, from Norway to Australia. Today, there are no less than 85 of them. Theatres of the immaterial contained in closed spaces, his Ganzfelds also testify to his talent for directing colours like an orchestra conductor, in order to turn our perception of depth upside down.

The artist’s large-scale exhibition at Gagosian

Immersion is only possible with suitable surfaces. Thus, rather than the rooms of his antennas in the heart of Paris, Gagosian entrusted Turrell with the keys to his huge building at Le Bourget, a stone’s throw from the airport, previously occupied by equally renowned artists such as Takashi Murakami.

n the space of the ground floor, the octogenarian can thus unveil to the French public his latest Ganzfeld, where colorful projections on blank and rounded walls cause a total loss of bearings. In addition, the American is also presenting one of his Wedgeworks, an installation where light vibrates thanks to reflective surfaces, as well as wall works and woodcuts.

Roden Crater: the project of a lifetime

Entitled “At One”, the artist’s exhibition also allows us to retrace the history of his most ambitious work to date: the Roden Crater. Acquired in 1977 by James Turrell, this volcanic site in Arizona has since been enriched with dozens of spaces and tunnels to compose a vast observatory of the sky. While waiting for the opening of the place to the public, which has already been postponed several times, Gagosian brings together several stages of this work in progress: models, plans, photographs and holograms with great aesthetic qualities, which document the project and are now asserting themselves as works of art in their own right.

“James Turrell. At One”, until June 2025 at Gagosian, Le Bourget.