3 outstanding light artists who are changing the game in modern and contemporary art
Olivia Steele, 35 (@steeleism)
A self-proclaimed natural-born artist, Olivia Steele humbly credits her country music singer and interior designer mother for her strong connection to light artistry. The Tennessee-born recalls being mesmerised by the power of science behind it all, albeit feeling a little uninspired by the technical aspect of things, after studying lighting design.
She’s particularly in awe of neon as she believes that it is able to change a room and add a certain energy to the space.
What drew you to neon?
It’s an instant vibe. The process of bending and pumping glass requires a lot of skill, patience and energy. The balance between permanence and fragility: the glass is so fragile and can break in an instant, yet it is something that can last forever. The process alone has been one of my biggest teachers in life. It is so full of metaphors, it’s almost comical.
How did you end up with displayed words as the medium?
Words are seeds. There’s something about cementing the words in an illuminated physical form that really gives it weight and meaning.... And when you combine the power of words with light, a profound force is born. My philosophy is centred around the desire to make one think and elevate the mind. Anything and everything I create serves a purpose.
How do you come up with such catchy and yet profound phrases?
I’m always writing down things I feel, things that have transpired in conversation and various quotes from my favourite sages. My father was an intellectual or philosopher of sorts. He would have wise truisms for just about anything. Growing up around his words of wisdom definitely had a big impact on me, so this was where my fascination and passion for working with words came from.
Massimiliano Moro, 34 (@massimiliano.moro)
Massimiliano Moro was exploring through the mediums that would express his artistic leanings at his alma mater when he first found himself gravitating towards light and movement.
Although light is a material that crosses various disciplines, Moro considers himself a sculptor as he attempts to work with shadows as he would with stone or wood, removing and adding materials to create shapes and especially voids—an art form that might have been lost on some.
With light comes a spectrum of colour, intensity and so on. How do you take control over them?
My approach is very practical, based on trials in the studio and there’s a little drawing or projecting beforehand. This is because light is such a fragile material that every millimetric change can distort the perception of the work.
I develop my work around combining two sources of light to generate deeply saturated shadows, so I’m more interested in the complementary colours that result from these combinations than the intensity or exactness of the measurements.
What comes first: the story or the stagecraft?
I don’t think that we can separate the two things. Light is such a sincere material that stagecraft becomes part of the story even if you try to avoid it. For instance, it’s kind of unnatural for me to hide the light source as the eye will always try to look for it.
I always try to avoid any idea of magic and secret, and expose everything that creates the light and shadows. This way, the stagecraft becomes one with the story and we can see what’s there instead of wondering how it’s done.
What’s next for you?
At the moment, I’m just readjusting to the current situation and trying to make the best of these peculiar times we’re in. I’ve always been interested in the relation between homes, art, and light, so now it’s a good time to understand it better. I’m launching a platform to sell some limited-edition sculptures focused on living spaces. They’re on palmyr.art.
Nindya Nareswari, 31 (@__nareswari__)
An internship with Ingo Maurer a decade ago was a career- altering experience that opened up a whole new world for Nindya Nareswari. Discovering the art form of light for the first time there, Nindya was immediately taken by the joyful and poetic nature of his works, and it guided her to the path she’s on now.
Today, the Berlin-based Indonesian artist is actively designing her inspired and emotive artworks that range from light objects or sculptures to set and stage lighting.
Having experimented with light and all kinds of materials, what’s the most surprising finding or outcome you have seen?
Every experiment I have done has produced something that surprised me and always in a good way. But I would say the phenomenon of light polarisation, when I did my first experiment on it, really surprised me. The changing colours really intrigued me and made me wonder about the unseen world around us. I am interested in how this scientific event reflects our life.
What’s your creative process like?
Normally I start by developing a concept, sometimes along with a little bit of sketch, but most of the time I dive into experimentation pretty quickly. Working with light is all about experiment. You can do simulations with computer software but it won’t be as accurate and effective as experimentation with physical materials. Like how light interacts with the different characteristics of materials.
What’s the most challenging aspect in creating light art?
For me, it is to conquer my self-doubt and dissatisfaction with the end result. As for the work, it’s to find the right space since the atmosphere and the visibility of the light is very much influenced by the space and vice versa. To achieve that perfect condition is very challenging as most of the time I have to compromise and adapt to what is possible.
