Light Art from Artificial Light: Light as a Medium in 20th and 21st Century Art

by Peter Weibel (Editor), Gregor Jansen (Editor)

Light art from artificial light = Licht Kunst aus Kunst Licht : light as a medium in 20th and 21st century art = Licht als Medium der Kunst im 20. und 21. Jahrhundert / editors : Peter Weibel ; Gregor Jansen

More than almost any other medium, electric light has revolutionized and democratized our world. Today we live in cities and gardens of light, and for almost a century, artists have been working with light bulbs, fluorescent and neon light, glowing LEDs, and powerful spotlights. This comprehensive publication offers a broad overview of the development of this genre, from the pioneers of light art in the 1920s and the immersing and interactive environments of ZERO, GRAV, Gruppo T, and Gruppo N, to the early light artists from Europe and North and South America. Outstanding contemporary productions—with their profound illuminated spheres, ironic cross-references, and fascinating plays of filigreed light—complete this glowing spectrum of explorations of artificial light.

Artists featured (selection):

Vito Acconci, Martin Boyce, Björn Dahlem, Olafur Eliasson, Tracey Emin, Dan Flavin, Gerhard von Graevenitz, Zaha Hadid, Jenny Holzer, Mike Kelley, Brigitte Kowanz, Julio Le Parc, Benita Liebel, Mario Merz, László Moholy-Nagy, Bruce Nauman, Jorge Pardo, Tobias Rehberger, Anselm Reyle, Jason Rhoades, Nicolas Schöffler, Keith Sonnier, Yves Tinguely, James Turrell, Cerith Wyn Evans, Chen Zhen

716 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2006

Reviews

[halcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read and reading again and again (Altough, I guess for something like this, it is "look at", really.). I love light art, light might actually be my favourite artistic medium. If you like shiny, glowing, wonderful things, then this sure is a book full of those.