When the sun filters through the skylights of the Honarkar Foundation for Arts & Culture in Laguna Beach, an untitled 1986 work of Mary Corse comes alive as the glass microbeads in oil paint catch the light.
“In the afternoon you can really see it all come through,” curator Genevieve Williams said of the massive white canvas.
Corse was among the artists that inspired Williams’ personal connection to the light and space movement.
“When I first moved to California in 2015 from Australia, I visited ACE Gallery and saw a group show that included Mary Corse, Helen Pashgian and Laddie John Dill,” said Williams. “I was immediately mesmerized and intrigued by their works.”
Her interest led her to the Peter Blake Gallery, also located in Laguna Beach and one of the longest running dealers of light and space artists. Williams has served as gallery director at the gallery for nearly seven years and had the chance to co-curate group shows and solo exhibitions.
Her love of the light and space movement is behind what Williams calls her most ambitious project at the Honarkar Foundation to date. “Luminaries of Light: Pioneers of the California Light and Space Movement,” on view now until Dec. 14, features the work of some of the movement’s most prolific artists, including the piece from Corse on loan from Chapman University.
The Honarkar Foundation for Arts & Culture was founded in 2019 and has been dedicated to creating a space to showcase and promote art, culture and education in Laguna Beach. The historic former post office at 298 Broadway St. opened its doors last year and offers a rotating series of curated shows.
When Williams first stepped into the 4,200-square-foot space, she knew it would be the right place for her dream exhibition, she said.
“The expansive skylights and abundance of natural light create the perfect environment, allowing these works to truly come alive,” said Williams.
The light and space movement originated in Southern California in the 1960s when resins, lacquers and epoxy became available to artists. The artists most closely associated with it were based in Los Angeles, and the influence of the light on the beach as well as the aerospace industry and new technology were all factors in its origins.
“The artists in this exhibition are true luminaries — visionaries who used light not just as a tool but as a subject in itself,” said Williams. “Their works blur the boundaries between art and environment, creating spaces where perception is continually altered.”
Intended to be immersive and experiential, 25 borrowed works from across the U.S. are featured in the show, and Williams collaborated directly with Laddie John Dill on a site-specific recreation of his 1971 sand-and glass-installation.
Many historic pieces are featured, like “Column Mauve,” a resin work from 1968 by De Wain Valentine, and a 1970 piece by Peter Alexander titled “Blue Leaner” that is said to have caught the eye of Andy Warhol, but not in the way the artist intended. During the movement’s infancy, resin’s malleability wasn’t well known, and it wasn’t always handled properly. Originally, seven “Blue Leaners” were propped up in a solo exhibition when the heat from a hot day warped all except one. Alexander set the rest on the floor, and an hour later Andy Warhol stepped into the gallery and mistook the damaged pieces on the ground as an installation.
“This is the the only one to survive from that series because it has this aluminum rod inside to keep it rigid,” Williams said of the resin stalk filled with layered colors leaned against a wall.
Though influenced by the use of materials developed during the space race, the influence of the California light and space movement is still being explored in more modern works, like Alexander’s “Purple Puff” from 2014. The edges of a royal purple urethane piece blur in way that almost looks digital, making the depth and dimension of the piece unknowable on sight alone.
“People are really drawn to this one because it plays with the eye, it plays with perception,” said Williams.
Originally the exhibition was scheduled to end on Nov. 16, but Williams has arranged for an extension of the show, which will give more people a chance to visit at different times of day and with different lighting.
“These works are all about the encounter, the exploration and the experience they offer,” said Williams. “The more time you spend with them, the more they reward you.”
