31 July 2013

On James Turrell

| johnboy
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within without

The Economist is heaping praise on the artist James Turrell:

For nearly half a century, Mr Turrell has toyed with light and space. His work earned him a so-called MacArthur “genius grant” in 1984. Standing in a space designed by Mr Turrell can feel transcendental, like being transported to an otherworldly dimension. “You don’t have to appreciate art to understand what I do,” he says. “It’s not art about art”. For Mr Turrell, it’s all about the viewer’s experience. The beauty of his work is the way it creates new ways of seeing, of experiencing light.

In a way, this is the “Summer of Turrell”. The artist, who just turned 70 in May and has a Santa Claus-like beard, is the subject of three big concurrent museum exhibitions across America—at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Guggenheim Museum in New York. This is a first for any American artist.

“And why do you mention this?” I hear you cry dear reader?

Well Canberra’s National Gallery is home to one of Turrell’s grandest works Within without. So you can just pop down to Parkes.

With a visit to all 82 of his site specific works a prerequisite to entry to the Roden Crater installation we should be getting some interesting tourists.

[Photo from the 2010 opening of Stage 1 at the Gallery]

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It’s wonderful if you manage to get in there alone and just sit.

I heard some music played inside once, but I think it is better in silence.

We are very lucky in Canberra.

johnboy said :

Have you been inside Within Without Ben?

Yep.

I love Within Without but it being the ACT the build quality is not quite up to snuff. Cracks and water damage are already evident and they detract from what is close to a transcendental experience.

For nearly half a century, Mr Turrell has toyed with light and space. His work earned him a so-called MacArthur “genius grant” in 1984. Standing in a space designed by Mr Turrell can feel transcendental, like being transported to an otherworldly dimension. “You don’t have to appreciate art to understand what I do,” he says. “It’s not art about art”. For Mr Turrell, it’s all about the viewer’s experience. The beauty of his work is the way it creates new ways of seeing, of experiencing light.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_regular_mini-sections_in_Private_Eye#Pseuds_Corner

Have you been inside Within Without Ben?

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