Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero of Luftwerk

Chiaro Oscuro

Volume Gallery is pleased to announce Chiaro Oscuro—its second exhibition with Luftwerk opening Friday, June 19th at 1709 W Chicago Ave. Chicago IL, 60622.

Chiaro Oscuro—Luftwerk’s second exhibition at Volume Gallery, Chicago—is an exploration of the varying modes and forms of gradient light. With roots dating back to ancient Greece and Rome, the word chiaroscuro literally means bright/dark and refers to the use of strong contrasts within art compositions. Situating this concept of contrast, difference and changeability as a point of departure, four light-based sculptural works illuminate the gallery, evoking an ephemeral sense of constant flux. By using the power of reflection and perception to imply and summon a point of disappearance—a threshold is invoked.

Projected light and reflective surfaces activate the restrained white and grey palette of Frequencies No. 1, an undulating wall-mounted sculpture composed of mirrored stainless-steel strips, which mimics the surface of a seascape in motion. Illuminated by programmed lights from above, the wave-like form transforms its surroundings into an ethereal yet dramatic play of pattern between light and shadow.

In two works called, Vanishing Horizontal and Vanishing Vertical, eight straight lines of white neon discretely tapers down in length towards nothingness—recessing to an imagined endpoint beyond, suggesting the spatial depth of an edge, a place beyond the horizon.

Chiaro Oscuro opens at Volume Gallery on June 19th, 2020 and will be on view until August 29th, 2020.

  • Volume 73
  • at Volume Gallery
  • June 19- August 29, 2020