Leo Villareal Exhibition Catalog

Leo Villareal Exhibition Catalog from the San José Museum of Art by JoAnne Northup with Contributions from Sara Douglas Hart, Steven B. Johnson, Susan Krane, Michael Rush and Mark Van Proyen

Leo Villareal (born 1967 in Albuquerque, New Mexico) is a pioneer in the use of LEDs and computer-driven imagery and known for both for his light sculptures and architectural, site-specific works.  This book accompanies his first major museum survey exhibition, which seeks to place Villareal's body of work in a continuum of contemporary art.   

After earning degrees in art and interactive telecommunications, in the mid-nineties he worked on cutting-edge virtual reality projects.  He also began to attend counterculture festival Burning Man, which inspired him to create immersive experiences on a large scale.   In 1997, he programmed a sixteen-light strobe structure that he brought to Burning Man.  Originally conceived as a nighttime way-finding device using pulsing light, the simple pieces became the precursor to his work in the light medium. 

This publication explores how Villareal presents a new vision of art that responds and relates to the innovations of the 21st century, using computer code and new technology as a medium for abstraction.

Details

• 192 pages, 210 color illustrations
• ISBN 978-7757-2455-5
• Hardcover