Be sure to make an advanced reservation to visit James Turrell: Into the Light. We will allow only a limited number of visitors at a time within the entire exhibition, and each group will have 45 minutes to experience the 9 installations. Please note, kids must be 6 and older to enter James Turrell’s Perfectly Clear and Hind Sight. For Perfectly Clear, kids 6-12 need to hold the hand of an adult while inside the installation.

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In James Turrell’s hands, light is more than simply a source of illumination: it is a discrete, physical object. His sculptures and architectural interventions elevate our experience and perception of light and space. Squares of sky seem to float, suspended, in ceilings or walls; architecture disintegrates; and brilliant geometric shapes levitate in midair. Turrell began using light as a sculptural medium in 1966, painting the windows of his studio in Santa Monica to seal off the natural light and experimenting with projections. His practice has been shaped by the ongoing manipulation of architecture, framing and altering the way viewers engage with the environment. A pioneer in the Southern California Light and Space movement, MASS MoCA presents a multi-decade retrospective of Turrell’s work in B6: The Robert W. Wilson Building — with galleries designed and constructed specially to best accentuate his installations. This exhibition features a major work from each decade of the artist’s career.

Further Reading

Timelapse of Ganzfeld construction, National Gallery of Australia, April 2015

‘It’s Not About Light—It Is Light’, ArtNews, September 2013

The Mind-Bending Science Of James Turrell’s Art, Popular Science, September 2013

The Quaker Meaning of Light (and James Turrell’s work), Helen Meads, 2014

Map of Turrell Skyspaces



You can download a PDF of the exhibition guide here.

Breathing Light, 2013

LED Light into space, dimensions variable

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

photo by Florian Holzherr

© James Turrell