James Turrell’s latest exhibition, A Retrospective, pays homage to a much celebrated career spanning over half a century. The exhibition is currently being shown at LACMA, where Turrell himself was a driving force behind the curation of his work with instruction; you have to reserve a ticket and there are strict maximum capacities of certain pieces. Such detailing of experience is imperative to his work. Installations that encompass entire rooms and yet are composed of singular lines encompass minimalist principles at best, with vast impact through light and scale.

Born in California, Turrell’s career has seen the composition of works that comprise a combination of light projections, prints, drawings and installations. This latest exhibition is about exploring sensory deprivation and highlights work from his past and most recent works. Said to have been a key artist in the Southern California Light and Space movement of the 1960s and 70s, the importance of this exhibition is great. Turrell says, I make spaces that apprehend light in our perception, and in some ways gather it, or seem to hold it.

His work is represented across the US and throughout Europe and is not about light, or a record of light; it is light – the physical presence of light made manifest in sensory form. Turrell’s work takes you to a place that appreciates the world with the newness of a child, where his fascination with space and exploration of the senses is obvious.