Hap Tivey | Something Light

February 2 - March 11, 2017

Hap Tivey, a pioneer of the Southern California Light and Space Movement of the 60s and 70s, is inspired by light as a viewer engaged medium. Working from his knowledge of physics and his time spent in a Zen monastery in Japan, Tivey presents conditions or situations of light that involve the audience. In Something Light, Tivey returns to his early work where he created room size light installations that immersed the viewer in fields of light and subtle perceptual activity. In his current body of work, Tivey presents two large scale light sculptures that will create the same experience on a more manageable scale. Utilizing gold leaf with layers of sanded plaster that allow for pure, soft light, the work encourages and invites the viewer to take time, and immerse themselves in the sense of calm conveyed through the dimensional sculpture.

Tivey has been represented by the Elizabeth Leach Gallery since 1981. His work is included in numerous public and private collections including the Menil Collection (Houston, TX), the DIA Foundation (New York, NY), the Guggenheim Museum (New York, NY and Bilbao, Spain), the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY), and P.S.1 (Long Island City, NY). Tivey recently retired from teaching new media at Bard College (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY).