Space:Light brings together artists working with the shaping of light and experimental imagery. This exhibition is part of an ongoing programme at the Center for the Holographic Arts to encourage artists to explore and create with a range of optical media with components of projection, programming, video and sculpture. The Space:Light programme is aimed at projects that investigate broad notions of holographic imaging, including multiple dimensions and immersive media and/or employ light as an artistic medium.

Describing the exhibition, curator Martina Mrongovius, Creative Director of the Center for the Holographic Arts, says, “The Space:Light programme encourages artists to experiment with light art, optics, immersive technology and multi-dimensional imaging. After five years of studio projects we felt it was time to have another big exhibition, so we reached out to the Long Island City Artists, who run a great gallery in an old plastic factory on the East River in New York, The Plaxall Gallery. Walking into the exhibition, visitors are awe-inspired by artworks that transform the space with light. While the overall effect is immersive, each piece presented offer a unique encounter. The immediacy of the visual experience and intensity of optical artworks can make us very aware of our perception and its malleability. Often artists work with light to explore spiritual dimensions that can range from the sacred to playful.”

To help artists develop projects, she asked questions like ‘what is the experience’, ‘how does it make you feel’, ‘what are you trying to express’, or ‘how are you conveying your concept’. Describing the process, Mrongovius says, “While they are simple questions that arise again and again through the creative process, having to articulate the intent of expression often brings forth important aspects of the work.  My own background is in physics and holographic art, which I combine to tell entangled urban stories. Working with artists, I love the process of untangling the stories in their work so as to help a broad range of people engage with the art.”

The artist list for the exhibition includes: Maximus Clarke, Barak Chamo, Wen-Han Chang, Xiaowei Chen, Valeria Divinorum, Lori Horowitz, Lara Knutson, Raisa Nosova, Steve Pavlovsky, Jonathan Sims, Julia Sinelnikova, George Stadnik, Joey Steigelman, Tracy Abbott Szatan, Kazue Taguchi, Pierre-Luc Vaillancourt, Bryan Whitney, Sangjun Yoo and Jason Yung.

Mrongovius further explains, “One of the themes that runs through Space:Light is the exploration of holographic concepts. A number of the artists play on the physicality of light, such as Lara Knutson’s Materialized Light Painting where each point of light becomes a glowing volume in space. The shaping of light with optics and materials is employed by a number of artists including Kazue Taguchi and Julia Sinelnikova where sculptures are created to project complex patterns of light. The programme also includes video artists who expand the screen through physical manipulation, stereographic projection and volumetric displays. To enable projects, we often team artists up with industry experts through the New York Stereographic Association and Looking Glass, whose displays are leading the way to holographic video.”

The exhibition includes artists that were part of Center for the Holographic Arts’ shows at the Queens Clocker, and artists who developed works during residencies at the HoloCenter on Governors Island. There are also artists that are showing for the first time who applied through the Long Island City Artists open call for Light Art.

The exhibition is on view at the Plaxall Gallery, Long Island City, New York from October 17 to November 17, 2019.