Anthony McCall's 'Solid Light' at Sean Kelly: Five Decades of Projected Light as Sculpture
From September 11 to October 31, 2026, Sean Kelly in New York will host Anthony McCall's seventh solo exhibition titled 'Solid Light, 1973, 2020, 2026' at 475 Tenth Avenue. The exhibition includes three pieces: 'Line Describing a Cone' (1973), which generates a three-dimensional cone of light in a darkened space; 'Skylight' (2020), which casts a dynamic cone from above accompanied by a score from David Grubbs; and 'Swarm' (2026), showcasing two rotating conical light volumes alongside a changing soundscape that evokes themes of drones and surveillance. McCall's exploration of 'solid light' began in the early 1970s, transforming the realms of sculpture, drawing, cinema, and sound within immersive settings.
Key facts
- 'Solid Light, 1973, 2020, 2026' runs September 11 through October 31, 2026 at Sean Kelly, 475 Tenth Avenue, New York, NY 10018.
- It is Anthony McCall's seventh solo exhibition with Sean Kelly.
- The exhibition features three works: 'Line Describing a Cone' (1973), 'Skylight' (2020), and the newly debuted 'Swarm' (2026).
- 'Line Describing a Cone' projects an animated line into a haze-filled darkened room, expanding into a three-dimensional cone viewers can walk through.
- 'Skylight' is a vertical installation with a slowly shifting cone projected from above, accompanied by an original score by composer David Grubbs.
- 'Swarm' (2026) premieres at Sean Kelly with two conical volumes of light rotating in opposite directions over a fifteen-minute duration.
- 'Swarm' draws on the increasing presence of drones in everyday life, referencing surveillance, automation, and aerial vision.
- McCall began developing his 'solid light' works in the early 1970s, emerging from experimental film culture in London and New York.
Entities
Artists
- Anthony McCall
- David Grubbs
- Leo Villareal
- Buckminster Fuller
- Adam Reich
Institutions
- Sean Kelly
- New York Art Life
- Sean Kelly Gallery
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Edge NYC
- Tate Modern
- Guggenheim Bilbao
- Fubon Art Museum
- Albright-Knox Art Gallery
- Futura
- Serpentine Gallery
- Hangar Bicocca
- Pioneer Works
- Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
- Eye Filmmuseum
- Centre Pompidou
- Hamburger Bahnhof
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Museum of Modern Art
- Tate
- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Chelsea
- London
- United Kingdom
- Manhattan
- Meatpacking District
- Hudson Yards
- Bilbao
- Spain
- Taipei
- Taiwan
- Buffalo
- Seoul
- South Korea
- Milan
- Italy
- Brooklyn
- Humlebæk
- Denmark
- Amsterdam
- Netherlands
- Paris
- France
- Berlin
- Germany
- San Francisco
- Madrid
- 450 West 29th Street