James Turrell. Light in Space and Prints

Works on paper of James Turrell – without doubt one of the most important artists of our time – are currently on display at the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich. In his prints, as in all his work, everything revolves around the phenomenon of light. Today, Turrell’s work is of particular interest because it has become a nexus for a wide spectrum of disciplines, including natural sciences. There are points of contact with architecture, land art, astronomy, aviation and space exploration, physics, geosciences, medicine, perception psychology and mysticism.

Such aspects are not only the focus of the exhibition but will particularly be discussed in depth at the international scientific conference. How do geoscientists respond to James Turrell’s prints? What pictorial strategies does Turrell deploy in his work and how do these relate to architecture and landscape architecture? The findings of the conference will form the basis of a comprehensive volume of proceedings with in depth essays and contributions. This volume will be published with much appreciated support from the Thomas und Doris Ammann Stiftung.