6th September 2008 – 19th December 2008
Lightness of Being is the fifth exhibition at Initial Access of new art from the Frank Cohen Collection, and will present a selection of recent works in neon and fluorescent light. The artists in Lightness of Being work across media. In this exhibition one aspect of their practice has been highlighted to demonstrate the unique potential that the medium of charged particles in light has when manipulated by the creative mind.
The play of light has been a mainstay of painting for hundreds of years. Modernist painters strove to record and visually interpret the effects of light in the world around them. They were superseded by other concerns in art that moved away from the representation of nature into abstraction and, subsequently, a response to popular culture exemplified by Pop Art. Neon sculptures employ a technology that was originally developed for commercial signage. Sophisticated techniques such as sculpted neon strips, light boxes and plasma screens have extended possibilities for artists, and changed their relationship with light from one of interpreting natural effects to employing artificial light as an essential expressive element in their work.
Artists in the exhibition include John M Armleder, Dan Attoe, Shezad Dawood, Olafur Eliasson, Tracey Emin and Jason Rhoades.
