Guild Hall in East Hampton a new exhibition by pioneering American artist Leo Villareal opening on August 5 in the newly renovated Marks Family Gallery South featuring the premiere of Villareal’s newest light sculpture, “Celestial Garden.”
Over the past 30 years, Villareal has created sequenced light artworks for museums and public spaces around the globe, transforming iconic city landmarks such as Westminster Bridge in London, the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, the Bleecker Street Subway Station, and the façade of the Brooklyn Academy of Music with his dynamic installations. The exhibition will be on view until October 15, 2023.
Villareal utilizes computer-generated algorithms to create mesmerizing, site-specific light artworks on a grand scale. Using custom computer software and complex coding, the artist designs unique, elemental frameworks that result in generative moving and evolving light forms.
Andrea Grover, Executive Director of Guild Hall, said, “We are thrilled to present Leo Villareal’s Celestial Garden in Guild Hall’s newly renovated Marks Family Gallery South. Villareal’s visionary techniques, combining experiential technology and light art, are aligned with Guild Hall’s mission to bring leading contemporary art to East Hampton. We are excited to share Leo’s immersive exhibition with our visitors in our new and improved gallery.”
Celestial Garden is a monumental light sculpture, over 10 feet tall and 28 feet wide, composed of an array of LED lights diffused through vinyl. Visitors will be invited to sit on zero-gravity chairs designed by the artist to experience the artwork.