Light and Space Art, one of the few significant movements to originate in Southern California, conflates the forms of Minimalism with the use of light as the actual medium of the artwork. Yet, even with all of the recent interest in the legacy of So Cal art, we have not seen a major exhibition showcasing this important movement. Until a show like that is realized by one of our major museums, one can enjoy the current exhibition by Light and Space doyen Robert Irwin at Sprüth Magers Los Angeles and, at the Cal State Long Beach University Art Museum, a survey of Irwin’s environmental projects, titled “Robert Irwin: Site Determined.”

“Robert Irwin.” Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles, January 23 – April 21, 2018. Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer

Of the many materials Irwin has worked with over the years, theatrical scrim is certainly one of the most beautiful. Irwin began using the material in the early 1970’s, creating the ethereal Slant/Light/Volume at the Walker Art Center in 1971, and the more intricate Excursus: Homage to the Square³ (1998) at the Dia Center Chelsea.

“Robert Irwin.” Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles, January 23 – April 21, 2018. Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer

The installation at Sprüth Magers is a complex variation on the Dia installation that similarly uses space and divides it into rectilinear quadrants based on the support columns and ceiling grid of the room. The scrim, which is white and translucent, creates layers of geometric planes, which become more opaque in views where multiple planes overlap. Irwin has also painted square forms onto the scrim, creating a multitude of variations as one walks around and through the installation.

“Robert Irwin.” Installation view, Sprüth Magers, Los Angeles, January 23 – April 21, 2018. Courtesy the artist and Sprüth Magers. Photo: Robert Wedemeyer

Responding directly to the space, which is surrounded by windows, Irwin has created a purely experiential work which urges and compels the viewer to explore the innumerable views as one navigates the complex perceptual intersections and spatial shifts created by the walls of scrim. Irwin began his career as a painter, and this work is more painterly than other scrim works through the introduction of the painted squares. The work also pays homage to geometric painters such as Mondrian and Albers (whose “Homage to the Square” series explored perceptual complexity within the parameters of geometric abstraction).

Installation image from “Robert Irwin: Site Determined,” on view at UAM through April 15, 2018. Photo courtesy of the University Art Museum, CSULB. Photographer: Jason Meintjes

Installation image from “Robert Irwin: Site Determined,” on view at UAM through April 15, 2018. Photo courtesy of the University Art Museum, CSULB. Photographer: Jason Meintjes

The concurrent “Site Determined” at Cal State Long Beach’s University Art Museum documents four decades of the artist’s outdoor projects through drawings and models; together, the shows are a unique opportunity to study the work of one of the greatest and most influential artists Los Angeles has ever produced.

Installation image from Robert Irwin: Site Determined on view at UAM through April 15, 2018. Photo courtesy of the University Art Museum, CSULB. Photographer: Jason Meintjes

Installation image from “Robert Irwin: Site Determined,” on view at UAM through April 15, 2018. Photo courtesy of the University Art Museum, CSULB. Photographer: Jason Meintjes

“Robert Irwin,” January 23 – April 21, 2018, at Sprüth Magers Los Angeles, 5900 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036. www.spruethmagers.com

“Robert Irwin: Site Determined,” January 29 – April 15, 2018, at University Art Museum, Cal State Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840.  www.csulb.edu/university-art-museum