Happy 2016! New Year’s Day serendipitously fell on a Friday this year–meaning a full weekend to celebrate, rest, repeat! Here are some electric and neon artworks that pop to keep your sprits sparkling!
David LaChapelle’s “33”
For the “Fellini of photography,” the provocative David LaChapelle, success hasn’t been easy. The retired workaholic now lives in Maui where he focuses on photography. Internationally acclaimed photographer and former Andy Warhol protégé, LaChapelle doesn’t talk about his images. Instead he contemplates the fact that so many of his subjects have had tragic ends.
Dale Chihuly’s “Light Drawing”
“Somebody once said people become artists because they have a certain kind of energy to release. That rings true to me. It must have an outlet. That’s why I draw.” – Dale Chihuly.
Chihuly’s expression represents the ongoing dialogue between his three intertwined media: light, glass and color. Chihuly’s 27-foot long V&A Chandelier, inaugurated by the Queen, remains in the museum’s grand entrance hall.
Infinity Mirrored Room
In this installation, Yayoi Kusama’s world is the viewer’s world. Completely covered with mirrors and dozens of LED lights hang from the ceiling with different configurations and color, the floor features a shallow pool of water. The “Infinity Mirrored Room – Filled with the Brilliance of Life” can be seen as Kusama’s interest for infinity, which gives the viewer the experience of being in an endless space.
Doug Aitken’s “Earth Plane”
The images inside the LED lightbox airplane charge the work with a sense of transition, representing the crystallization of an idea captured from the frenetic modern landscape. Both works stamp a portion of the visible world with this shape. While one gazes into a mine dug deep into the earth, the other lifts off and wings up into an expansive blue sky and above the clouds.
Antonio Charrua’s “Sem Título”
On view at the MNAC : Museu Nacional de arte Contemporânea do Chiado, Lisbon
One of the most influential painters of his time, Portuguese artist António Charrua is said to have been influenced by his love for Picasso and the Pop Art movement. This former architecture student spent his life searching for geometric figures while exploring abstract gestures by creating sculptures, collages and paintings.
Jenny Holzer’s “Installation For Bilbao”
Specifically designed for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, “Installation For Bilbao” evokes universal themes of intimacy, death and loss with writings such as “I SAY YOUR NAME” and “I SAVE YOUR CLOTHES” translated in Basque, Spanish and English. Exploring the border between public and private in the Frank Gehry-designed building, the L.E.D installation consists of nine vertical, double-sided and 12 meters tall signboards.
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