All That Jazz 2011

Robert Irwin made "All That Jazz" out of fluorescent lights, arranged in vertical stripes of red, white, and subtle grays. It is all about that process of seeing; the way the light interacts with the space around it. Irwin's work is all about the materiality of light itself, how it can change the way we perceive a space, almost like a dance. It's not about the object, but the experience. Look at how the light washes over the wall, creating a subtle shadow play. Is the red light warmer than the white, how does that feel? You could call him a minimalist, but that would undermine the way he is more like a conceptual artist playing with perception. He is almost like a cool jazz musician riffing on color, rhythm, and space. Like Josef Albers meets John Coltrane. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide what it means, or maybe it doesn't mean anything at all.