“Light is not so much something that reveals, as it is itself the revelation.” These are the words of renowned artist James Turrell. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was part of a group of artists in Southern California who were experimenting with light as a material. The Light and Space movement focused on perception, creating experiences rather than objects. Turrell, along with figures like Helen Pashgian, Larry Bell and Robert Irwin developed immersive environments that engulfed audiences in a world of colour. Their fascination with light rippled outwards and the past fifty years has seen countless practitioners, the world over, expand understandings of what can be done with the medium. Dan Flavin’s manipulation of commercial fluorescent tubes and Jenny Holzer’s LED writing employ light as a sculptural tool, whilst Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels (1973 – 1976) made use of the solstice sun. Fast forward to today, and technological advancements allow the digital manipulation of light and motion to create immersive environments, such as the wildly popular creations of Japanese collective teamLab. The trend shows no sign of slowing, and these five exhibitions are perfect examples of what can done with light. The displays showcase iconic names, placing their works in a modern context and showcasing them to new audiences. They also bring boundary-breaking artists to the fore, redefining what can be done with technology.

Liliane Lijn (b. 1939) is one of the first and best-known women artists to work with kinetics. Her art covers an impressive spectrum of interests, from light and its interaction with diverse new materials to rethinking definitions of feminine. Now, Tate St Ives’ latest exhibition showcases landmark pieces from across her fifty-year career. This ambitious display is divided into three key themes, mirroring the defining aspects of Lijn’s oeuvre; kinetic art, initially through motorisation and optical effects; light and energy, giving visible form to immaterial and unseen forces; and feminism and the body, challenging dominant ideas of women in art and technology. The show begins with early installations such as Echolights (1963) and Cosmic Flares (1965-1966), both of which use light beamed onto Perspex blocks to create a visual metaphor for the particle wave paradox, a phenomena of quantum mechanics. These led to the creation of the seminal Liquid Reflections (1966-1968), in which a hollow acrylic disc filled with water rotates on a platform, slowly spinning to create a luminous dance of two translucent spheres. Tate also spotlights Lijn’s lifelong championing of female empowerment, often bringing it to the fore at a time when the industry was still dominated by men. Conjunction of Opposites: Lady of the Wild Things (1983) and Woman of War (1986) are two of her most groundbreaking installations. They were first exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1986, where they harnessed pioneering technologies to respond to binary notions of gender.  

Hamad Butt (1962–1994) was one of the most innovative artists of his generation. Born in Pakistan and raised in East London, Butt’s multi-media pieces spoke to both his diasporic experience and Queer identity. His works are permeated with a sense of physical risk, epitomising the new “hazardism” that proliferated art in the 1990s. It was a potent and critical response to HIV and AIDS – a disease from which Butt would sadly die at the age of 32 – skillfully employing themes of precarity, toxicity, the spread of viruses, homophobia and racism. The artist completed four major sculptures before his untimely death, which are now on display together for the first time at Whitechapel Gallery. Visitors will witness Familiars 3: Cradle, an installation made up of 18 vacuum-sealed glass spheres filled with lethal yellow-chlorine gas. If smashed together, the respiratory irritant would be released into the air. Also on display is Transmission, which weaves together Christian and Islamic iconography. The piece sees nine glass books, raised on Quran stands and arranged in a circle on the floor, lit by ultraviolet lamps. The threatening image of a triffid, a fictional plant that blinds and eats humans from John Wyndham’s post-apocalyptic novel The Day of the Triffids (1951), is etched onto the surface of each volume. Audiences wear protective glasses to screen out the ultraviolet light. Butt said of his earliest project: “There was a play with the whole notion of blind faith, faith in written things, which I was equating with the transmission of disease.”

American artist Robert Irwin (1928-2023) was a pioneer of the Light and Space movement. The group was concerned with how geometric shapes and light could affect the viewer’s environment and perception. Irwin first began using fluorescent lights in the late 1970s, but it was not until 2008 that they became a staple of his artistic practice. White Cube’s exhibition is the last show conceived by Irwin before his death in 2023, bringing together eight wall-based works and a monumental sculpture made during the artist’s final decade. The pieces comprise columns of six-foot tall fluorescent tubes, layered with coloured gels and emitting light at various levels of brightness. Strips of electrical tape obscure some places, and sometimes, they are turned off altogether. The resulting hues and intensities are unique to each sculpture. Irwin said: “The work is not finished until the viewer is involved.” Freestanding sculpture, Untitled (2021), brings the site-responsive dimension that defined much of Irwin’s practice into focus. The three-metre-tall installation features semi-transparent acrylic sheets of deep red, green and cool grey. The artwork takes different forms depending on the observer’s position, obscuring and revealing internal colours and forms, through which glimpses of the surrounding environment are also visible. 

Japanese art collective teamLab first formed in 2001, seeking to merge art, science, technology and the natural world. In the 24 years since, their influence has rippled out across the art world. They have opened five museums and large-scale permanent exhibitions – another two are on the way – and ignited a worldwide appetite for immersive art that seems insatiable. The interdisciplinary group includes artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians and architects, whose collective efforts create works that redefine what it means to visit an art gallery. The announcement of a new museum, set to open in Minami-ku, Kyoto, continues this momentum. Installations include Massless Amorphus Sculpture, which sees a floating form emerge from a sea of bubbles, defying the very concept of mass. It neither sinks to the ground nor rises completely to the ceiling, instead drifting in the middle of the space. Meanwhile, Massless Suns and Dark Skies features countless spheres, suspended across the room. If a visitor touches one, the shape shines brightly, causing the surrounding pieces to respond – one after the other. Light also comes to the fore in Traces of Life, in which the space becomes one with the audience. Luminous vines move out from visitors’ feet, remaining in the museum long after people have left. It is a visual acknowledgement that artwork is only made meaningful by human engagement. 

This exhibition explores the enduring connection between nature and humanity, inviting visitors to rekindle their bond with the environment. The show, created by artist Natural Symphony, offers a unique sensory experience, showcasing the healing power of nature. At its heart are living plants, which have been intertwined with sensors to allow their leaves to engage with human interaction in real-time. Guided by handmade biofeedback devices and creative coding, the installation’s visual and audio effects produce a mesmerising symphony of sights and sounds. It comes at a time when an increasing number of artists are harnessing technology to remind people of the importance of protecting, and reconnecting with, nature. Renowned collective Marshmallow Laser Feast’s most recent piece saw an interactive video reveal the inner life of an ancient oak tree, whilst the 2025 World Expo asks how creatives can come together to imagine a more sustainable tomorrow. Nature / Connected is the first installation in the five-part Human / Nature series and will coincide with London Climate Action Week, which runs from 21 – 29 June, adding to the movement of environmental activism. The artist said: “Even in an age dominated by machines, nature’s pulse can still shape our world. By immersing themselves in this experience, visitors will not only witness the harmony between nature and humanity but also feel a profound connection to the environment.”

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Words: Emma Jacob

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Image Credits:

1. teamLab, Massless Amorphous Sculpture, 2020-, Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery * Reference Image.
2. Liliane Lijn: Arise Alive exhibition view, Tate St Ives 2025. Courtesy of the artist and Sylvia Kouvali, London / Piraeus. Photo ©Tate (Oliver Cowling).
3. Hamad Butt, Transmission, 1990. Installation at Milch, London, 1990. Tate Image © Jamal Butt.
4. Robert Irwin, Untitled, 2021. Acrylic. Overall: 299.7 x 81.3 x 81.3 cm | 118 x 32 x 32 in. 6 parts, each: 299.7 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm | 118 x 12 x 12 in.
5. teamLab, Massless Amorphous Sculpture, 2020-, Installation, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi © teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery * Reference Image.
6. Nature/Connected installation, Granary Square, King’s Cross