Four Incomplete Red Neon Circles on a Pink Wall 1977

Stephen Antonakos made these four, almost complete, red neon circles on a pink wall. I wonder what it was like to install this piece, carefully bending and arranging the neon tubes until they hum with the right energy. I can imagine Antonakos in the space, maybe even at night, carefully considering the angles and curves, adjusting each one until they spoke to each other. Each neon curve pushes the pink of the wall, making the two colors vibrate and hum. These simple shapes are so precise, yet they evoke something so dreamy. I love how Antonakos uses light not just as illumination, but as a way to sculpt the space itself. He’s part of this long line of artists using light as a medium, from Dan Flavin to James Turrell, all exploring how light can define and transform our perception of space. In this piece, incompleteness becomes a strength, inviting us to fill in the gaps, to participate in the making of the form itself.