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Leo Villareal

Nebulae

Past
Jan 25 – Mar 18, 2023
Geneva
 
Exhibition Details:

Leo Villareal
Nebulae
Jan 25 – Mar 18, 2023

Gallery:

Quai des Bergues 15-17
Geneva

Press:

Press Release (EN)
Press Release (FR)

Connect:

(opens in a new window) @pacegallery

Above: Leo Villareal, Sapphire Nebula, 2022 © Leo Villareal

Pace Gallery is delighted to announce Leo Villareal: Nebulae, the American artist’s first solo exhibition in Switzerland.

Bringing together a suite of eight new wall-based digital sculptures, this presentation will coincide with the 2023 edition of artgenève, where the artist will showcase a major installation in the main hall. Nebulae marks Pace’s sixth solo exhibition of Villareal’s work, underscoring the gallery’s commitment to championing contemporary practices that push the boundaries of art and technology.

Rooted in art historical language of abstraction, Villareal’s practice uses pixels and binary code to create complex, rhythmic compositions. Investigating the capacity of light and code as both medium and subject, Villareal’s practice is concerned with the immersive, experiential, and sensorial qualities of perception. Villareal’s major projects include his public installation The Bay Lights (2013) on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco and the long-term project Illuminated River, in which nine bridges along the River Thames in London are lit up every evening. Villareal has constructed a generative sequence of subtly shifting LED lights that bring attention to the relationships between architecture and nature, responding to the natural fluctuations of the currents and sky.

Villareal’s latest body of work, titled Nebulae, brings this language of brightly coloured LED lights, electronics, and custom coding into the gallery space. These new wall-based sculptures are comprised of hypnotic, diffused light that pulsates in vibrant hues of radiant colours. Drawing simultaneously on organic, celestial imagery and the visual lexicon of custom software, Villareal’s work bridges the divide, inviting viewers to engage with the boundary that separates the physical and digital worlds.

 

Installation Views

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Featured works

Leo Villareal, Sapphire Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 60" × 48" × 3" (152.4 cm × 121.9 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Ruby Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 60" × 48" × 3" (152.4 cm × 121.9 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Amethyst Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 60" × 48" × 3" (152.4 cm × 121.9 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Pietersite Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 48" × 36" × 3" (121.9 cm × 91.4 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Umba Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 48" × 36" × 3" (121.9 cm × 91.4 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Tourmaline Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 48" × 36" × 3" (121.9 cm × 91.4 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Tanzanite Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 48" × 36" × 3" (121.9 cm × 91.4 cm × 7.6 cm)
Leo Villareal, Eudialyte Nebula, 2022, LEDs, acrylic, aluminum, electronics, custom software, 48" × 36" × 3" (121.9 cm × 91.4 cm × 7.6 cm)
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About the Artist

Leo Villareal works with pixels and binary code to create complex, rhythmic compositions in light. Firmly rooted in abstraction, his approach uses layered sequencing that results in open-ended and subjective visual experiences. Villareal’s works often reference organic systems and evoke—but do not illustrate—atmospheric elements in that emergent and unexpected behavior occurs without a predetermined outcome.
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