鈥淟ight is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation.鈥 These are the words of James Turrell, a pioneer of Light Art. The field emerged in the mid-20th聽century, with figures like Turrell, Larry Bell and Mary Corse and Robert Irwin driving the movement. The aim was to use light, rather than traditional mediums like paint on canvas, to affect the viewer鈥檚 state of consciousness and perception. Fast forward to today, and artists employ the latest technologies, like 3D projection mapping and multi-media technology to push the boundaries of what an art exhibition can look like 鈥 think teamLab in Japan or the intricate creations of Marshmallow Laser Feast. These five exhibitions, on display throughout 2026, represent the best of the field, inviting audiences to step into an illuminated experience.聽
Templon, New York | Until 21 March聽
This show celebrates 20 years of collaboration with Iv谩n Navarro, offering a chronological overview of the artist鈥檚 work. It is structured around three foundational pieces, each one an electrically animated sculpture activated through movement and video. The exhibition begins with聽Landess Land聽(2023), which reimagines the concept of an electric chair 鈥 traditionally associated with state violence 鈥 into a luminous structure that confronts systems of power, punishment and control. Meanwhile,聽Flashlight: I鈥檓 Not From Here, I鈥檓 Not From There聽(2006) and聽搁别蝉颈蝉迟补苍肠别听(2009) are both activated by the body. In 搁别蝉颈蝉迟补苍肠别,听electricity is generated through physical effort, literalising opposition as friction within systems of power.聽
The Venet Foundation, Le Muy | Opens 8 May
Dan Flavin is one of the foundational figures of Minimal Art. In the 1960s, he introduced a radical new perspective on system, sequence and repetition into the history of art, using industrial fluorescent tubes as his exclusive material. His聽Nominal Three (to William of Ockham)聽(1963), comprised tubes arranged from left to right in a numerical progression. The piece was the foundation of an exceptionally rigorous visual language, grounded in structure, modularity and light. The Venet Foundation brings together ten of his pioneering works, developed between 1964 and 1990. The show coincides with the 30th聽anniversary of Flavin鈥檚 death, reminding audiences this his legacy continues to ripple through contemporary art.聽
MOCA, Chicago | Until 2 August聽
Haegue Yang describes her work as 鈥渋ncubated abstraction,鈥 drawing on specific historical narratives and figures to create large-scale installations.聽Star-Crossed Rondezvous聽brings together two major pieces made with venetian blinds, a window treatment designed with adjustable angled slats that filter light and structure spatial relationships. On one side of the exhibition,聽Sol LeWitt Upside Down 鈥 K123456, Expanded 1078 Times, Doubled and Mirrored聽(2015) is a monochromatic structure inspired by the cubes of American conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, whilst聽Star-Crossed Rendezvous after Yun聽(2024) pays tribute to the life and work of Korean-born Isang Yun, a pioneering composer and political dissident.
Various Locations, Bristol | Until 28 February聽
Bristol Light Festival brings light, fun and colour to the city centre across a free, city-wide celebration. The event, established in 2020, showcases the city as a platform for contemporary art, spotlighting artistic freedom and experimentation. This year鈥檚 programme features world-premiere works alongside some of the best local, national and international talent. The practitioners include Aesthetica Art Prize-alumnus Liz West, who presents two installations that transform Cabot Circus Car Park into a vivid, immersive world of colour and reflection. Meanwhile, creative robotics studio Air Giants presents聽The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years,聽which sees a monumental feline sculpture gently breathe, twitch and purr.聽
ARoS Aarhus Art Museum | Opens 19 June聽
The Danish gallery presents a monumental work that invites audiences to 鈥渓ook up at the sky and into yourself.鈥澛As Seen Below聽is a large, dome-shaped artwork, measuring 16 metres in height and 40 metres in diameter. Visitors arrive via a subterranean, light-filled corridor before stepping into a large domed hall, where Turrell鈥檚 previsely calibrated light bathes the space in colour and makes the opening to the sky appear both boundless and close. Turrell described the emotionally intense process of creating the piece, saying: 鈥淚 am shaping the very experience of seeing rather than simply delivering an image. The architecture brings the sky close, so you recognise that the act of looking is the work itself.鈥
Words: Emma Jacob
Image Credits:
1. Liz West, Our Colour.聽Image: Andre Pattenden.
2. IV脕N NAVARRO, Blue Electric Chair, 2004. Blue fluorescent light bulbs, painted aluminium and electrical fixtures 120 脳 78 脳 100 cm 鈥 47 1/4 脳 30 5/7 脳 39 3/8 in. Courtesy of the artist and Templon, Paris 鈥 Brussels 鈥 New York. Photo 漏 Thelma Garcia.
3. Dan Flavin, untitled (to Lucie Rie, master potter), 1990 Photo 漏 Archives Bernar Venet.
4. Haegue Yang, Star-Crossed Rendezvous after Yun, 2024, aluminum venetian blinds, powder-coated aluminum hanging structure, steel wire rope, moving spotlights, DMX controller, speaker, tripod. Courtesy of the artist. Installation view of Leap Year, Hayward Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2024. Photo by Mark Blower.
5. Liz West, Our Colour. Image: Andre Pattenden.
6. James Turrell, As Seen Below 鈥 The Dome, a Skyspace by James Turrell. Photo: Mads Smidstrup 漏 ARoS, 2025. From James Turrells visit in As Seen Below, June 2025.
