I saw this exhibit last summer, when it was at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. It was surprising how beautiful/smart/and moving the fluorescent (not neon) works are. ( I know, I know ... just go see it. Photographs don't do any justice to his work - they really are installation/immersion/environment pieces.) posted by R. Mutt at 6:02 AM on January 19, 2006
A friend of mine is an art photographer. He was summoned to a Chelsea gallery some years ago to photograph some sculpture, and asked to wait in a large room. There were several fluorescent light fixtures leaning in the corners.
"Oh, I guess they left these for me to work with" he says to himself as he takes them down and lays them with his other equipment.
Then they call him to the office, and show him the exhibit catalog featuring those same fixtures.
"No problem!" he says as he runs back into the other room to reassemble the artwork.
And I second R. Mutt: just go see it. It's spectacular perceptual art full of stunning illusions and effects. posted by StickyCarpet at 6:26 AM on January 19, 2006
Ahem. Yeah, I realised this just after I posted. D'oh.
Still, the 'pun' wouldn't have worked with fluorescent.. posted by ascullion at 7:47 AM on January 19, 2006
I am a huge fan of his work. I agree with those above: photos do not do justice. Neither to explanations of the piece's intentions. Also, it was much more effective to see the work as part of a collection. A single piece in a museum does not give the viewer the opportunity to adjust to Flavin's unique vision. posted by Corpus Callosum at 9:00 AM on January 19, 2006
posted by R. Mutt at 6:02 AM on January 19, 2006