This exhibition celebrates Larry Bell, a legendary founder of the California Light
and Space movement in the 1960s, and premieres his exiting new walk-through installation
entitled Pacific Red, which explores the optical and reflective qualities of red glass.
Larry Bell has continued to push the boundaries of perception and technology in his
on-going quest to explore light and vision. Pacific Red features a historical survey
of his art from the late 1950s and 1960s as well as the installation designed especially
for the galleries of the Weisman Museum of Art.
Bell's installations make us question the reliability of what we see. His glass surfaces
function both as mirrors and windows. We see through them but they also resist penetration
by reflecting what's outside them. By using layers of overlapping glass, he pushes
the limits of sculpture by dissolving mass into perceptual phenomena. As the artist
says, "My work is about the properties of light and the way it interacts with surfaces—it's
about volume and illusion. The sculpture does three things: It reflects light, transmits
light, and absorbs light all at the same time." This exhibition reveals how he uses
his signature materials—glass, Mylar, paper, and industrial coatings—to push the boundaries
of vision and perception.
