GMAC project space will open its second exhibition, Larry Bell: Surface Value, on March 15, 2024. Curated by Anna Valverde, the exhibition showcases five works made by the artist between 1985-2022 from the private collection of George Frederick Mead Merck. 

Larry Bell (b.1939) is one of the key progenitors of the Light and Space movement best known for his works in glass. Bell has been working with the medium of glass for over fifty years, experimenting with the interplay of light, shadow, and color through its surface. The artist’s unique understanding of the potential of glass and light allows him to expand visual and physical fields of perception, and his sculptures to surpass traditional bounds of the medium. Bell qualifies his artistic interests in the medium saying that ‘Although we tend to think of glass as a window, it is a solid liquid that has at once three distinctive qualities: it reflects light, it absorbs light, and it transmits light all at the same time.’

This exhibition features examples from four bodies of work that demonstrate the creative range and application of the vacuum coating process in glass, paper and mylar: MVD (Mirage Vapor Drawing), Light Knot, MELGL (Medium Eclipse on Glass) and Deconstructed Cube. 

Bell champions an open ended reaction to his work noting that ‘’there are as many different reactions, as there are people who view them.’’

MELGL 18 (Medium ellipse on glass), 1985