Good to Glow
Lighten up at MCASD's luminous exhibit

Photo: Brevin Blach
Words: Patricia B. Dwyer

The psychological and physiological influence of light energizes “Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface,” exhibiting at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego through January 22. Some pieces (such as Doug Wheeler’s 1965 Untitled, pictured here) use artificial illumination to play with perception, while others emphasize the illusive quality of natural light as they transform with the time of day. Several works invite close-up, even step-inside examination of the differences between transparency and translucence, as well as opaqueness and reflectivity—momentarily turning visitors into prism inmates. Says curator Robin Clark: “You have to put your body in the space to experience it.”

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