Master of Light and Sky: James Turrell on the Cover of Whitewall’s Summer Issue

The recent blockbuster “At One” exhibition at Gagosian Le Bourget draws us into the infinite landscape of James Turrell’s imagination, where light ceases to be mere illumination and becomes a substance of revelation. Curated by the artist himself, this landmark exhibition—his most expansive in Europe in over two decades—offers a rare glimpse into Turrell’s ongoing inquiry into perception, consciousness, and the architecture of space.

Serena Cattaneo Adorno, founding director of Gagosian Paris, describes working with Turrell as “an honour and a privilege,” a collaboration marked by years of dialogue and mutual trust. “The intention with this exhibition was to offer audiences a comprehensive view of James’ recent practice, whilst providing a historical perspective by including rare early works,” she notes. The resulting constellation of more than 35 creations—monumental light installations, intimate Glassworks, projections, holograms, and models—embodies the full arc of Turrell’s philosophy, in which light becomes not just medium, but presence.

Light Art Cover Story

From his earliest days, Turrell understood light not merely as medium, but as something with “thingness”—endowed with weight, density, and emotional resonance. “I’m interested in light having its own thingness—not just revealing other things, but becoming a revelation in itself,” he has stated. This ethos permeates “At One,” where light no longer simply enables vision but transforms the act of perception itself. In the new Ganzfeld installation, All Clear, and the Wedgework piece, Either Or, Turrell constructs immersive environments where, as Cattaneo Adorno describes, “you perceive beyond mere projection and sometimes, there’s nothing there at all.” 

“I’m interested in light having its own thingness—not just revealing other things, but becoming a revelation in itself,” 

James Turrell

Similarly, recent works such as Raethro, Yellow and Afrum, Lavender—part of his Cross Corner projections—summon luminous forms that collapse the boundary between surface and structure. The six new Glassworks, each presenting distinct internal configurations, intensify this sensory experience: embedded directly into the walls, they appear as quiet apertures through which light reveals itself as material presence. These spaces draw viewers into what Turrell calls “behind-the-eye seeing”—a form of perception that transcends the retinal and invites contemplation of seeing itself.

Perception as Creation and A New Landscape

Turrell’s approach rests on the belief that reality is not passively observed but actively shaped by the perceiver: “The world is not what we receive, but what we create,” he said. Echoing principles of Eastern philosophies and quantum theory, this notion proposes that perception is fluid, subjective, and self-constructed. His installations encourage a departure from habitual seeing—inviting us to experience light as it “passes through <…> just beneath [what is] usually seen,” revealing an entirely new world within.

“The world is not what we receive, but what we create,” 

James Turrell

At the heart of Turrell’s practice lies the idea of a “new landscape”—a horizonless expanse that defies conventional spatial logic. This concept takes vivid form in the “Ganzfeld” and “Wedgework” series featured in “At One,” where architecture dissolves into light itself.

“The decision to include installations from both the ‘Ganzfeld’ and ‘Wedgework’ series was less about creating an interplay between the two and more about offering a holistic view of James’ practice,” Cattaneo Adorno said. In these works, light becomes the structure, filling the void, collapsing walls, and softening edges until space gives way to a pure, undifferentiated visual field. For Turrell, this state mirrors moments of vertiginous disorientation—like flying through dense cloud, skiing in a whiteout, or diving into deep water—experiences marked by what he calls a “rupture of depth” that compels us to navigate by instinct alone.

Turrell’s fascination with a world without horizons began, in part, with his experience as a pilot. Reflecting on his relationship with flight, he once remarked, “Flying teaches you to think in plan view, to see the earth as a surface, a flat terrain with almost endless potential for horizonless vision.” That aerial perspective—its spatial ambiguity and immersive detachment—reshaped Turrell’s understanding of landscape. By stripping away familiar reference points, he leads us into a contemplative terrain where, as Cattaneo Adorno observes, “each interpretation is personal—perhaps even spiritual—but certainly poignant and intimate.”

NASA Influence and Early Mentors

A lesser-known yet deeply formative influence on Turrell’s work was his collaboration with Dr. Edward Wortz, a physiological psychologist engaged in NASA’s space program at Garrett AiResearch. Wortz introduced Turrell to radical ideas around sensory deprivation and perceptual adaptation—what the artist later described as “a new way of thinking.” These insights sparked his enduring fascination with spaces that compel viewers to confront their own perceptual frameworks. “Light is something we are physically involved with, and it has this emotional quality… a unique quality that connects the worlds or the planes that we exist upon,” Turrell reflects. His works stretch the thresholds of sensory engagement, urging us not only to question what we see, but how we participate in the act of seeing.

“Light is something we are physically involved with, and it has this emotional quality,”

James Turrell

Equally instrumental was his early mentor, James Demetrion, who encouraged Turrell to explore the emotional and intellectual resonance of light. Originally drawn to Demetrion’s art classes for their social appeal, Turrell soon found himself “seduced” by the rigor and depth of artistic inquiry, later describing it as a way to “treasure light as we treasure gold, silver, and, of course, paintings.” Together, Wortz and Demetrion laid the conceptual bedrock of his practice—nurturing a vision of light as a bridge between consciousness and the unconscious, the physical and the spiritual, the seen and the intuited.

Roden Crater: A Monumental Vision

A narrative akin to The Little Prince runs through Turrell’s work, particularly his monumental project, the Roden Crater. Like Saint-Exupéry’s boy exploring a universe from his planet, Turrell creates spaces that distill vastness into intimacy, cosmic phenomena into personal experience. Located in an extinct volcano in the Arizona desert, the Roden Crater serves as both observatory and sanctuary—a place where, as Turrell puts it, “the earth and the sky come together.” Discovering the site in 1974, he recalls, “When I saw it, I knew what I was looking for.” This “pyramid” in nature held an intrinsic allure for Turrell, who saw in its mastaba form and rugged beauty an opportunity to fuse earth and sky, informed by his training as a pilot. Purchased in 1979, the crater has been painstakingly shaped over decades into a landscape observatory, with tunnels and chambers precisely aligned to celestial events. 

In “At One,” archival materials from the Roden Crater project provide a historical lens on this lifelong endeavor—illuminating the Herculean effort that has come to define much of Turrell’s career. “It’s a remarkable undertaking,” Cattaneo Adorno remarks, “and one that demonstrates his desire for people to cherish light as they do precious materials.” By constructing what he calls “a new kind of observatory,” Turrell has transformed the site into a place where the rhythms of sun, moon, and stars converge with human perception—resonating within a space that feels at once ancient and urgently immediate.

Architecture of Light

Turrell’s installations do not simply incorporate architecture; they are architecture—crafted with precision to control light and shape perception. His spaces function as modern-day camera obscurae, drawing viewers into a darkened realm where light becomes a sculptural force. “The eye is an aperture for light to enter the body,” he explains, challenging us to perceive subtleties that might otherwise go unnoticed. “I create these spaces that seem to capture light for our perception,” Turrell adds. “These are spaces that both protect it and, in some way, form it.”

This choreography of light carries profound implications for how we understand the boundaries between subject and object. In a world where digital and physical realities increasingly intermingle, Turrell’s work prompts us to reconsider the very mechanics of seeing. As he reflects, “Dreaming is seeing, but with eyes closed, so where does this inner light come from, and how does it relate to the light we see outside?” His installations remind us that vision—like consciousness—is layered, stretching from the surface to the depths of the soul.\

Spiritual Resonance of Light

Though minimalist, Turrell’s works evoke a spiritual resonance, drawing on the architecture of ancient sanctuaries and celestial observatories. The simplicity of his installations echoes sacred spaces that historically used apertures to capture symbolic light. Reflecting on light’s spiritual dimension, Turrell notes, “If you think of the soul and the road to Damascus, or samadhi—achieving enlightenment—or any near-death experience, almost all are described using the vocabulary of light.” This association places Turrell within a lineage of masters like Friedrich, Turner, and Vermeer—artists deeply engaged with light’s transcendental power.

“James often reflects how light reveals and is the revelation itself,” Cattaneo Adorno says. This idea forms the conceptual core of “At One,” where viewers are invited to engage with light not as an object, but as an agent of introspection, awe, and discovery. Whether within the immersive expanse of a Ganzfeld or the quiet confines of his Glassworks, Turrell’s spaces encourage us to consider light as an active force: shaping not only what we see, but how we understand our place within the world.

From “Aten Reign” to “At One,” A Pilgrimage into Perception

In 2013, Turrell’s “Aten Reign” transformed the Guggenheim’s rotunda with concentric rings of shifting light, highlighting his unique ability to shape architecture through light alone. This monumental work evoked the spiritual awe of a sunrise or sunset and marked a high point in his exploration of immersive light environments. “At One” builds on this vision, inviting viewers to step inside light itself, creating a seamless landscape of light and space. Including aquatints and woodcuts that explore the qualities of light in “Aten Reign,” the exhibition reveals how each installation is a standalone experience yet collectively reflects his lifelong exploration of light. As Cattaneo Adorno describes, it “showcases the range of ways he uses light as a medium,” capturing Turrell’s desire to bring viewers closer to the sublime, inviting them to “see themselves seeing.”

“At One” is a journey through the vast and intricate terrain of perception—a landscape shaped by Turrell’s unwavering quest to reveal light not as effect, but as experience. His work carries echoes of the Quaker belief in an “inner light,” a quiet force that resides within. This exhibition asks us to tune into that inner radiance, to consider light not simply as illumination, but as revelation: a presence “not to be held, but known.” As Cattaneo Adorno concludes, “Paris is known as the ‘City of Light,’ but this exhibition invites audiences to experience light as something beyond illumination.” The show offers a rare opportunity to witness Turrell’s works in dialogue—spanning mediums and decades—charting his pursuit of perception’s most elusive frontiers.

“Paris is known as the ‘City of Light,’ but this exhibition invites audiences to experience light as something beyond illumination,”

Serena Cattaneo Adorno

Through Turrell’s artistry, luminosity transcends its physicality, becoming a vessel for spiritual reflection. By dissolving the boundaries between viewer and environment, he awakens us to the fragility, wonder, and interconnectedness of existence. His work becomes a pilgrimage into the very essence of perception, drawing each visitor toward an encounter with the mysteries of seeing, knowing, and ultimately, of being.