The legendary artist Doug Wheeler is currently front and centre at a solo exhibition staged at David Zwirner’s gallery space in New York. A forerunner in the Light and Space art movement, which originated in Los Angeles during the 1960s and 70s, Wheeler is best known for his installations that tweak perceptions of space, light and volume.
Of these, his Encasements – slender light paintings made from fabricated acrylic and neon – are the most recognisable. The David Zwirner exhibition involves five pieces – no more than two Encasements have ever been exhibited together – allowing visitors a rare chance to consider them in relation to each other, as opposed to as standalone works.
Starting around 1967–69, Wheeler created just 20 works in this typology. Composed of large panels of vacuum-formed plastic and outlined with strips of neon lighting set into the edges, the works are typically installed in an all-white room, devoid of ambient light and any architectural detail, so that the neon light is the only true focus.
Wheeler also created two rarely seen centre light variations, where the light emanates from the middle of the panel – one of which is also included in this exhibition.
By creating an individualised sensorial experience, Wheeler’s Encasements upset the stereotype that art needs to be a physical object. Staged together in an open configuration at David Zwirner, this point will no doubt be hammered home even stronger.
A forerunner in the Light and Space art movement, Wheeler's slender light paintings are made from fabricated acrylic and neon. Pictured: Untitled, 1968/2015
Starting around 1967–69, Wheeler created just 20 works in this typology. Pictured: Untitled, 1969/2014
Composed of large panels of vacuum-formed plastic and outlined with strips of neon lighting, the works are typically installed in an all-white room, devoid of ambient light and architectural detail. Pictured: Untitled, 1969/2014
By creating an individualised sensorial experience, Wheeler’s Encasements upset the stereotype that art needs to be a physical object. Pictured: Untitled, 1969/2014
INFORMATION
’Doug Wheeler: Encasements’ is on view until 5 March. For more information, visit David Zwirner’s website
Photography courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York/London
ADDRESS
David Zwirner gallery
537 West 20th Street
New York City
-
Pretty on the inside: the BMW X3 M50 is a characterful but confrontational SUVThe flagship of the fourth generation X3 range, the M50 xDrive model showcases BMW’s skills at making SUVs that are delightful to drive
-
A contemporary retreat hiding in plain sight in SydneyThis contemporary retreat is set behind an unassuming neo-Georgian façade in the heart of Sydney’s Woollahra Village; a serene home designed by Australian practice Tobias Partners
-
The mash-up between Mercedes and Geely continues with the multi-functional smart #5The new smart #5 is a mid-size electric SUV that promises an overload of features wrapped up in a stylish shell
-
The forming of a new American dream: on site at Desert XWill Jennings reports from the epic art festival in the Coachella Valley
-
This rainbow-coloured flower show was inspired by Luis Barragán's architectureModernism shows off its flowery side at the New York Botanical Garden's annual orchid show.
-
‘Psychedelic art palace’ Meow Wolf is coming to New YorkThe ultimate immersive exhibition, which combines art and theatre in its surreal shows, is opening a seventh outpost in The Seaport neighbourhood
-
Wim Wenders’ photographs of moody Americana capture the themes in the director’s iconic films'Driving without a destination is my greatest passion,' says Wenders. whose new exhibition has opened in New York’s Howard Greenberg Gallery
-
20 years on, ‘The Gates’ makes a digital return to Central ParkThe 2005 installation ‘The Gates’ by Christo and Jeanne-Claude marks its 20th anniversary with a digital comeback, relived through the lens of your phone
-
In ‘The Last Showgirl’, nostalgia is a drug like any otherGia Coppola takes us to Las Vegas after the party has ended in new film starring Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl
-
‘American Photography’: centuries-spanning show reveals timely truthsAt the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Europe’s first major survey of American photography reveals the contradictions and complexities that have long defined this world superpower
-
Miami’s new Museum of Sex is a beacon of open discourseThe Miami outpost of the cult New York destination opened last year, and continues its legacy of presenting and celebrating human sexuality
