“Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible” September 26, 2014–January 4, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (August 12, 2014)—The Frist Center for the Visual Arts presents Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible, an exhibition featuring sculptures by one of the pioneering artists of the Light and Space movement that began in the 1960s in Los Angeles. On display from September 26, 2014 through January 4, 2015, the exhibition of large light-infused columns and other works will transform the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery into an ethereal sensory environment yielding experiences that are both meditative and astonishing.
Organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art with additional works from the artist’s studio, Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible comprises twelve paired, semi-translucent columns made from industrial materials such as acrylic sheets and cast resin that appear to glow from within. Ms. Pashgian is celebrated for using simple geometric forms that interact with light and inspire contemplation of the relativity of perception. The imposing cylindrical sculptures, approximately eight feet tall, “seem to hover slightly over the floor, paradoxically countering their monumentality with a sense of weightlessness,” says Frist Center Chief Curator Mark Scala. Other works in this exhibition include cast-resin spheres and epoxy wall pieces that offer a multitude of visual experiences depending on the viewer’s point of observation. “While we think we understand what we are seeing, a slight shift to the left or right, closer or further changes everything we thought we perceived,” says Mr. Scala.
First enthralled by the distinct Southern California light of her youth, Ms. Pashgian continues to be interested in the way materials change light’s character through absorption, reflection and refraction, and the psychological effects this has on her audience. Mr. Scala notes that Pashgian’s intention is “to express mystery more than encapsulate empirical knowledge.”
The Light and Space movement flourished in Southern California beginning in the late 1960s when such artists as Peter Alexander, Larry Bell, Mary Corse, Robert Irwin, James Turrell and DeWain Valentine explored light as a medium for transforming perception and shaping sensory experiences. “They created sculptures and environments in which natural or artificial light bounced off, played over, or passed through fiberglass, glass, plastic and polyester resin,” says Mr. Scala. “Pashgian’s contributions have long been recognized among her fellow artists,” notes Scala, but with this exhibition, which originated at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, they have now achieved international acknowledgment for their beauty and originality.”
About Helen Pashgian
Helen Pashgian is a native of Pasadena, California and has been an active artist since the 1960s. She is noted for being one of the few women of the Light and Space movement. She has exhibited in California at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Pomona College Museum of Art in Claremont; Palm Springs Art Museum; the University of California, Santa Barbara; and the University of California, Irvine. Ms. Pashgian earned a Bachelor of the Arts degree from Pomona College in 1956. She attended Columbia University from 1956–1957 and received her M.A. from Boston University in 1958. From 1970–1971, she was artist-in-residence, California Institute of Technology. Ms. Pashgian is represented by Ace Gallery in Los Angeles, CA.
Exhibition Credit
Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible is adapted from a 2014 exhibition of the same title organized at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art by Carol S. Eliel, Curator of Modern Art.
Sponsor Acknowledgment
The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is supported in part by the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Related Public Programs
Friday, September 26
Community Opening: Kandinsky: A Retrospective and Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible
10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Free
Celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions, Kandinsky: A Retrospective and Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible, during our Community Opening. This event is free and open to the public. A cash bar and hors d’oeuvres will be available in the Frist Center’s Grand Lobby from 6:00–8:30 p.m. Remarks will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Frist Center Auditorium. RSVP by Monday, September 15 by calling 615.744.3987 or ” Join us!
Saturday, September 27
Curator’s Tour: Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible Presented by Carol Eliel, curator of modern art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
12:00 p.m.
Meet at exhibition entrance
Gallery admission required; members free
Helen Pashgian, a pioneering artist of the California Light and Space Movement of the 1960s, creates spare sculptures that harness the shifting play of natural and artificial light on translucent surfaces that yield fleeting moments of subtle and mysterious beauty. Join organizing curator Carol Eliel for a discussion of works on view in the exhibition and of Pashgian’s continuing exploration of the nature of perception. Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible is on view in the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery from September 26, 2014, through January 4, 2015.
Friday, October 17
ARTini: Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible
7:00 p.m.
Presented by Mark Scala, chief curator, Frist Center
Meet at exhibition entrance
Gallery admission required; members free
Are you curious about art? Do you want to learn more about the content and concepts behind an artist’s work? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then the ARTini program is for you! ARTinis are designed for everyone—from the novice to the connoisseur—and include informal and insightful conversations that offer a deeper understanding of one or two works of art in an exhibition.
Join Chief Curator Mark Scala as he discusses works by this pioneering artist of the California Light and Space Movement. Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible is on view in the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery from September 26, 2014–January 4, 2015.
Tuesday, October 21
ARTini: Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible Presented by Mark Scala, chief curator, Frist Center
12:00 p.m.
Meet at exhibition entrance
Gallery admission required; members free
Are you curious about art? Do you want to learn more about the content and concepts behind an artist’s work? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then the ARTini program is for you! ARTinis are designed for everyone—from the novice to the connoisseur—and include informal and insightful conversations that offer a deeper understanding of one or two works of art in an exhibition.
Join Chief Curator Mark Scala as he discusses works by this pioneering artist of the California Light and Space Movement. Helen Pashgian: Light Invisible is on view in the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery from September 26, 2014–January 4, 2015.
CONTACT
Buddy Kite: 615-744-3351, ”
Ellen Jones Pryor: 615-243-1311, ”
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About the Frist Center
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., the Frist Center offers the finest visual art from local, regional, national, and international sources in a program of changing exhibitions that inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways. The Frist Center’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery features interactive stations relating to Frist Center exhibitions. Information on accessibility may be found at http://www.fristcenter.org/accessibility”>http://http://www.fristcenter.org/accessibility. Gallery admission is free for visitors 18 and younger and to members; $10 for adults and $7 for seniors, military and college students with ID. College students are admitted free Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of Frist Fridays), 5:00–9:00 p.m. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more with advance reservation by calling 615.744.3247. The galleries, Café and Gift Shop are open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. and Sundays, 1:00–5:30 p.m., with the Café opening at noon. Additional information is available by calling 615.244.3340 or by visiting our website at http://www.fristcenter.org.
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