The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Displays Californian Artists Use of Light

Written by Hans Toniumetnost Monday, 26 September 2011 22:10

San Diego, CA.- The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is proud to present "Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface", the most ambitious exhibition in both size and scope yet undertaken by MCASD. It will occupy the majority of the Museum’s galleries in La Jolla and downtown and is on view from September 25th through January 22nd 2012. While September 25 marks the official opening of Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface, the Museum will install and open downtown galleries throughout the summer months, allowing visitors to partially view the exhibition, see select installations in progress, and hear from the artists, curators, and preparators. This is one of the ways MCASD is aiming to bring the Museum and installation process closer to our members and visitors, providing a rich and engaging experience. "Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface" takes an in-depth look at work by 13 artists whose perceptual investigations and innovative use of industrial materials helped define an era of art making in Southern California during the 1960s and 1970s.

Whether by directing the flow of natural light, embedding artificial light within objects or architecture, or playing with light through the use of reflective or translucent materials, these artists each created situations capable of stimulating heightened awareness in the viewer. The artists featured in Phenomenal are Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Ron Cooper, Mary Corse, Robert Irwin, Craig Kauffman, John McCracken, Bruce Nauman, Eric Orr, Helen Pashgian, James Turrell, De Wain Valentine, and Doug Wheeler. The La Jolla installation of Phenomenal will include important early and transitional works by Larry Bell and Doug Wheeler, as well as immersive environments by Bruce Nauman and Eric Orr. The properties of resin as a material that can capture, reflect, and refract both light and color is demonstrated with exceptional pieces by Peter Alexander, Ron Cooper, John McCracken, Helen Pashgian, and De Wain Valentine. A key feature of the La Jolla presentation of Phenomenal is a selection of drawings by the participating artists. These works range from quick preparatory sketches to finished presentation drawings, from workmanlike plans to poetic meditations on the properties of materials. Highlights of this installation will include pigmented wax drawings by Peter Alexander, studies for light pieces from Ron Cooper’s 1973 solo show in La Jolla, lyrical watercolors by Craig Kauffman and James Turrell, pages torn from John McCracken’s sketchbook, and extremely detailed renderings by Doug Wheeler, who worked both sides of his drawing sheets to achieve ghostly images. Many of these works on paper are being exhibited for the first time. "Phenomenal" is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated, 240-page scholarly catalogue, co-published by MCASD and University of California Press. The first critical reader on this topic, the Phenomenal book is edited by Curator Robin Clark. It is a key addition to literature on art made in Los Angeles during the intensely vibrant decades of the 1960s and 1970s.


With two locations, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the region's foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of our time, presenting works across all media created since 1950. Located in the heart of downtown San Diego and in the coastal community of La Jolla, MCASD provides an unprecedented variety of exhibition spaces and experiences for the community, showcasing an internationally recognized collection and a dynamic schedule of exhibitions and public programs. At MCASD in Downtown, experience contemporary art in a historic setting - the Jacobs Building, formerly the Santa Fe Depot baggage building - and view site-specific installations by artists Jenny Holzer and Richard Serra. At MCASD in La Jolla, take in the fabulous ocean view from the Edwards Garden Gallery, or lunch on the patio at the Museum Cafe. The La Jolla location also houses the Museum's X Store, filled with a selection of contemporary art books, apparel, and innovative design objects. The collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego includes more than 4,000 works created after 1950, representing a variety of media and genres: painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, video, and installation. MCASD is known for collecting works by promising emerging artists and under-recognized, mid-career artists, as well as by major figures in international contemporary art. Among the greatest strengths of the MCASD collection are minimalism and Pop Art of the 1960s and 1970s, conceptual art from the 1960s to the present, installation art, art from Latin America, and art from California and the San Diego/Tijuana region. Many works in the collection are the result of artists' residencies or works commissioned for MCASD exhibitions. In response to new local, national, and international developments in art, the Museum continually seeks to enhance its strengths and to expand the representation of artistic trends in its collection. At the same time, MCASD preserves, presents, documents, and interprets its holdings for current and future audiences. Visit the museum's website at  ... http://www.mcasd.org

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