JAMES TURRELL Exhibition Summary (from Press Release)
JAMES TURRELL 
We have the eye, which of the five senses is the closest to the brain, or rather is the sensory channel through which the brain itself directly perceives the external world.Light is indispensable for the proper functioning of the eye. Our visual power (function) to discern objects is more easily frustrated by manipulating light than by directly blocking the direction of our gaze, as is illustrated he dark changes of scene in a theater. This also means that our discernible world varies with the quantity of light. Often we feel peaceful when we settle into an indirectly illuminated space or dim corner. As we know, in such a relative darkness, not so deep as to risk our safety, we feel reassured than scared, and the faintness of light calms and relaxes us.
James Turrell is an artist who does noot produce light for the purpose of illumination, but creates conditions in which light can behave free of that role. His inventions are calculated to make conscious of the essence of light. Turrell deals with light just as we deal with material objects, or to be more precise, he gives from to light so as to substantiate it. The present exhibition, in allowing viewers to experience Turrell's luminous world, is intended to introduce them to his approach to light as such, as this is the motif consistently found in his work, from his early Projection Piece to Roden Crater project, a colossal project to be finished in the year 2001.
Stylistically, it is possible to classify James Turrell's works into four groupes: first,works in natural surroundings, such as Roden Crater, a dead volcano in Arizona; second, those which feature outdoor daylight, such as Sky Space Series; third, indoor installlations with artificial or natural light; fourth, "perception cells," or mobile single rooms which can be entered for personal experience.
Roden Crater is a project that was begun in 1979. It may be called his life work. First of all, we are struck with a view of the sky that is given the appearence of a dome by the leveled top of the surrounding crater wall. The artist, who obtained further funding this year, is proceeding with construction to provide the inside of the crater with rooms penetrable to moonlight as well as sunlight. The project will not be finished until the beginning of the twenty-first century. This exhibition illustrates the crater project with a large-scale model, paintings and drawings.
Projection Piece is a series of works with artificial light. Production from 1965 to 1966, these installations represent Turrell's early achievements. The work,in which a specially designed light projector throws various geometric patterns into the space, was fomally presented to the public in 1967. This exhibition includes two pieces from the series, Afrum-proto and Decker.
Wedge work , an evolving piece that was begun in 1969, is organized with a roomful of massive wedges of light. In Aperture , the viewer becomes aware of the extremely low luminosity of an aperture cut in a facade after an extended period of time in the space. The piece, which the artist adapts to each exhibition space, is part of the Space Division Construction series. First presented in 1876, the works in the series are devised to literally divide space into two sections, that of the standing viewer and that of light. From both these works, the artist presents new pieces adjusted to the exhibition space of the Art Tower Mito.
Perceptual Cell is the title given to a number of movable works designed for personal experience that James Turrell has produced in the 1990's. In this exhibition Soft Cell (1992) and Gasworks (1993) are included.
Soft Cell is a soundproof and lightproof closet in which one experiences utter darkness. Gasworks (*) is shaped like a gas tank. The viewer lies in a bed and enters the interior of the spherical container, and sees his or her whole body enveloped in light.
James Turrell's highly original artistic activities are held in high esteem in the US and Europe, resulting in approximately 200 solo and joint exhibitions to this date. In Japan, this exhibition at Art Tower Mito is his first retrospective.
Although the exhibits include models and prints, the two new installations and, of course, the two "perceptual cells" are works to be experienced directly. Viewers are asked to have the will to approach these works squarely. There is nothing difficult in the experience, but visitors must be willing to spend enough time with the works to experience them fully. Even if one knows the mechanism of each work or the principles of perception, the sense of excitement and marvel upon experiencing the work will not be dulled. Turrell's works are of an unfailing power that each person discovers in the act of seeing.
(* Please note that the museum may refuse to open Gasworks to those who are under 18 or are disqualified for health reasons.)
