ART CITIES:London- Keith Sonnier

Keith Sonnier, Ba-O-Ba VI, 1970, Courtesy the Artist and Haeusler Contemporary-Munich/Zurich, © Haeusler Contemporary-Munich/Zurich Photo: Wolfgang StahlKeith Sonnier reinvented sculpture in the late ‘60s. Employing unusual materials that had never before been used, Sonnier, along with his contemporaries, called all previous conceptions of sculpture into question. In 1968, the artist began working with neon, which quickly became a defining element of his work. The linear quality of neon allows Sonnier to draw in space with light and color, while the diffuseness of the light enables his work to interact on various architectural planes. Sonnier’s architectural neon installations in public spaces have earned him wide acclaim in an international context.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Whitechapel Gallery Archive

In the exhibition “Keith Sonnier: Light Works, 1968-70”, the artist presents four major early neon works made between 1968 and 1970 that transform the 19th Century architecture of the Whitechapel Gallery in London. Sonnier was one of the first 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 by both the Greek mathematical theory of the Golden Ratio and the slang of his Louisiana childhood. “Dot Dash Corner” (1979) explores architectural space, in this case the corner of the gallery, and uses the language of Morse code where letters are translated into dots and dashes. On show alongside this, “Neon Wrapping Incandescent” (1969) features looping neon tubes wrapping around two incandescent bulbs, their black wires dangling to the floor. Against another wall in the gallery space, “Lit Circle Red with Flutex” (1968) is a circular sculpture of patterned glass, partially encircled by a clear tube filled with red neon gas. The fourth work on display,

Info: Curators: Lydia Yee & Habda Rashid, Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London, Duration: 10/6-11/9/16, Days & Hours: Tue-Wed & Fru-Sun 11:00-18:00, Thu 11:00-21:00, www.whitechapelgallery.org

Keith Sonnier, Lit Circle Red with Flutex , 1968, Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Mitterrand-Paris, ©ARS New York
Keith Sonnier, Lit Circle Red with Flutex , 1968, Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Mitterrand-Paris, ©ARS New York

 

 

Keith Sonnier, Dot Dash Corner, 1969, Courtesy of the Artist and Haeusler Contemporary Munich/Zurich, ©Haeusler Contemporary-Munich/Zurich Photo Wolfgang Stahl
Keith Sonnier, Dot Dash Corner, 1969, Courtesy of the Artist and Haeusler Contemporary Munich/Zurich, ©Haeusler Contemporary-Munich/Zurich Photo Wolfgang Stahl

 

 

Keith Sonnier, Neon Wrapping Incandescent, 1969, Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Mitterrand-Paris, © ARS New York, Photo Genevieve Hanson
Keith Sonnier, Neon Wrapping Incandescent, 1969, Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Mitterrand-Paris, © ARS New York, Photo Genevieve Hanson