The Welsh filmmaker and sculptor, Cerith Wyn Evans, is back at the White Cube gallery in London for a hauntingly vibrant neon art exhibition.
Upon entering the space, viewers are immediately attracted to the four neon sculptures strung from the ceiling throughout the room. The sound of the electricity traveling through the tubes, the intense artificial light, and the reflective concrete floor produces the cold feeling of an industrial factory – but somehow this mise-en-scène is hypnotically attractive.
With this installation, Evans has created a world that challenges notions of human consciousness, playing with the viewer’s curiosity and perception. Most of the concepts for his work stem from an interest in language and communication, frequently appropriating text from philosophy, film, or classic literature.
Many of the lines articulated in the LED sculptures are inspired by Japanese Noh theatre, while another luminescent installation of three bright white neon discs is inspired by Marcel Duchamp. The tubes of light, like the artist’s veins, refer to the flow of energy. One of them is a sound sculpture which whispers, almost like the artist’s voice, a strange sound through the nineteen transparent glass flutes. The sculptures are accented by two palm trees that are in constant rotation, furthering the otherworldly presence created by the whispers.
Regardless of your personal interpretation, the exhibition is visually provoking and ideal for an Instagram photo op. The show is on view through November at The White Cube gallery in Bermondsey. Click here to learn more about Evans’ conceptual work, or here to see his films.
Like this article? Explore other artists that use neon in their work, or read more about awesome exhibits currently happening in London.
