Phenomenal - by Robin Clark (Hardcover)

About the Book

Catalog of an exhibition of the same name held Sept. 25, 2011-Jan. 22, 2012 at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla and San Diego.

Book Synopsis

During the 1960s and 1970s, a loosely affiliated group of Los Angeles artists--including Larry Bell, Mary Corse, Robert Irwin, James Turrell, and Doug Wheeler--more intrigued by questions of perception than by the crafting of discrete objects, embraced light as their primary medium. Whether by directing the flow of natural light, embedding artificial light within objects or architecture, or playing with light through the use of reflective, translucent, or transparent materials, each of these artists created situations capable of stimulating heightened sensory awareness in the receptive viewer. Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface, companion book to the exhibition of the same name, explores and documents the unique traits of the phenomenologically engaged work produced in Southern California during those decades and traces its ongoing influence on current generations of international artists.

Foreword by Hugh M. Davies
Additional contributors: Michael Auping, Stephanie Hanor, Adrian Kohn, Dawna Schuld
Artists: 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, Doug Wheeler

From the Back Cover

"The Light and Space movement--of great importance to my development as a young artist--is far more than a valid art historical reference. It translates matters of psychology, phenomenology, criticality, emotional investment, and now-ness into an immaterial language that is both subversive and compelling. Light and Space is as contemporary as ever."

--Olafur Eliasson

Review Quotes

"Beautifully illustrated and impressively researched. . . . Represents an important contribution to the deepening of scholarship on this still poorly understood yet fundamental dimension of postwar Los Angeles art."-- "Choice" (1/17/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Impressive. . . . Notable for including many large-scale, immersive works that are rarely shown to the public."-- "Southern California Quarterly" (7/13/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Of the many superb books related to 'Pacific Standard Time, ' Phenomenal is among the most elegant."-- "Art In America" (12/28/2011 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Robin Clark is Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.