Fondazione Stelline presents, Steven Scott. Odyssey Light Colour Time, the first retrospective solo exhibition – curated by Lisa Hockemeyer – dedicated to the last 25 years of Steven Scott‘s artistic career. His artistic research revolves around the rich complexity of the elements of light, color and time interacting with space and the people present. Scott’s innate understanding of the elements of light, color and time, and how humans absorb and relate to sensory stimulation within confined or open spaces, owes much to his previous experiences in the world of performing arts.
The exhibition, which is part of the Milan Design Week (June 6-12, 2022) schedule of the City of Milan, provides an opportunity to present the new look of Gallery II, an exhibition space of the Fondazione Stelline that has been renovated and expanded thanks to the contribution of the Lombardy Region.
Steven Scott. Light Colour Time opens with the minimalist work Corner from 2005, homage to Dan Flavin, a recurring theme in Scott’s research, and recalling his last set design for the inaugural performance Requiem at the Copenhagen Opera House in 2006. The iconic Brown Light of 2007 and the great Black Light Triptych of2005 are further masterpieces from this period. Seemingly marginal transitional phases of light, tone and depth of color envelop the viewer, creating illusion and magic and inviting one to stop, wonder and contemplate. Moving compositions of light and color, Steven Scott’s light art alludes to music as well as time, mathematics and nature. Many of his works, which change color gradually over time, including the large architectural installation Blade (2004-2006) or Seventy-Seven at the Deloitte HQ di Copenhagen (2003-2014), refer to the rhythms of the day, natural cycles or seasonal changes and interact not only with the surrounding spaces but also with the people inside. The mural relief Six Part Elements of 2022 unleashes its evocative power in the exhibition space of the Fondazione Stelline.
An exhibition that also highlights the potential for sustainability and innovation brought by some of the latest lighting technologies and their evocative power when applied to light art. Scott’s works alter entire environments and trigger multiple sensory stimuli in the viewer, challenging the way humans relate to spaces and themselves.
The exhibition concludes with the world premiere screening of Triptych of 2022 (50′), a video art installation inspired by the poetic music of American composer Robert Ashley. Like Ashley’s charming poem, the work emphasizes the arbitrary and momentary atmosphere of the present, encapsulating the concept of time passing. Triptychlinks art and real life and takes the visitor back to Scott’s early artistic years, heavily inspired by the New York art scene of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Accompanying the exhibition is the large monograph Steven Scott Odyssey Light Colour Time, published by Hirmer Verlag (2022, 256 pages, 350 color illustrations), with the main essay by editor Lisa Hockemeyer and contributions by Ole Nørlyng, Søren Risager-Hansen and Steven Scott.
Steven Scott,born in London in 1955, is a light artist who lives and works in Copenaghen. After an extensive and award-winning career in set design for some of the world’s leading opera, ballet and contemporary dance companies, Scott turned his attention to the art of light about 25 years ago. His artistic debut was marked by a group exhibition at the Central Institute for Art History ZI in Munich, Germany, in 1997, where he joined artists Jon Groom and Andreas Horlitz to celebrate the Institute’s 50th anniversary. Since then he has exhibited widely in galleries and museums and public spaces throughout Europe, mainly in Denmark, Germany, the UK and Italy, including Grossetti Arte and the Bocconi University of Milan (2014-16).
STEVEN SCOTT: LIGHT COLOUR TIME
curated by Lisa Hockemeyer
From 7 June to 3 July 2022
Openings: Tuesday – Sunday, h. 10.00 am – 8.00 pm (Monday closed)
Fondazione Stelline, c.so Magenta 61, Milan
Info: mostre@stelline.it