Light Show Artist Talk: Leo Villareal

Overview

If you haven't been to the awe-inspiring Light Show at the Auckland Art Gallery, then you have a couple more weeks to expose yourself to its wonders. It will close on 8 February and I would recommend devoting about two hours to experience all the artworks on show.

One of the most mesmerising works in the exhibition is Leo Villareal's Cylinder II (2012). A floor-to-ceiling structure of slim tubes is installed in the centre of the room. The tubes house thousands of LEDs, that scatter lights up and down their length, throwing shadows on the blank gallery walls. The light patterns never repeat and are reminicent of big raindrops, stars or fireflies.

Leo Villareal has created similar installations on a much larger scale, the most notable of which is The Bay Lights. We are lucky to be graced by the artist in person, to give a special talk about his work in the Auckland Art Gallery auditorium on Saturday 31 January. Come along to learn more about his feats of computer programming and illumination, and stay for a free screening of Impossible Light, a documentary about the monumental Bay Bridge project in San Francisco.