Gallery 2 of London’s Whitechapel Gallery has been illuminated by early neon works by American sculptor Keith Sonnier, on display in the UK for the first time. “Light Works” runs from June 10 through September 11.The four works that feature in the exhibition were all produced between 1968 and 1970. The artist was one of the first (alongside others like Bruce Nauman) to experiment with using neon light tubes in his sculptures. Just as his contemporaries like Richard Serra and Eva Hesse were exploring the use of everyday or industrial materials in their sculptures, Sonnier was similarly creating works like “Ba-O-Ba VI,” 1970. In this sculpture, the artist paired neon strips in four colors with a foam rubber mattress, creating a piece inspired both by Greek geometric formulae and the slang of his Louisiana childhood — the title refers to a phrase meaning “light bath.”In a statement, Sonnier explains his use of neon, saying that it “has always been a material in signage that one lays flat, […] but I began to lift it from the board, and use it in a much more three-dimensional form…which was not the nature of the material.”“Light Works” is on display at the Whitechapel Gallery alongside the work of Sonnier’s contemporary and friend Mary Heilmann, and fittingly the two illuminate each other. As well as settling into similar bright color palates and investigating the interplay of colors, the two share an interest in experimenting with abstraction. While Heilmann was incorporating gestural processes and ceramics — a field much maligned by other artists — into her works, Sonnier too was expanding abstract art by using industrial materials and the neon usually associated with commercial art and kitsch.“Keith Sonnier: Light Works” runs June 10 through September 11 at Whitechapel Gallery.
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