126. LYGIA PAPE: A SPACE BETWEEN CONSTRUCTION AND CONCEPTION.
Lygia Pape - Weaving Space, Bourse de Commerce, Pinault Collection - PARIS.
Lygia Pape, light installation Ttéia 1,C. Pinault Collection Paris. Image: M-A (A SPACE BETWEEN).
As to stand between rain storms, sgraffitoed by Dürer - dissipate to nothing - flash back as a lightning bolt crashes and a silence descends. An installation of reenactment, of proposition. Rendered in the materials of man - impersonating a divine intervention. A space between construction and conception.
Witnessing Lygia Papa's installation is to imagine clouds parting as an outpouring of beams, fire down as a curtain of arrows - a torrent of targeted spines - flash to form a sacred atmosphere pierced.
As to stand between rain storms, sgraffitoed by Durer - dissipate to nothing - flash back as a lightning bolt crashes and a silence descends. An installation of reenactment, of proposition. Rendered in the materials of man - impersonating a divine intervention. A space between construction and conception.
The taught architecture of angels - angled as a spire - pivoting to heaven and anchored to earth - as laser beams which protect and prevent - protrude an air of human - propose a prayer of belief.
Unwoven as a warp framework - the integral mesh of life. Strung as a template - as a constant. Pape's use of copper wire intrigues with complexity - immediacy and spiritual metaphor. A material of unbreakable strength - relied upon for high tolerance under pressure.
The installation of shafts of light, appear at first momentary, precious and rare, and yet as in life are in fact consistent - the sun continues to shine even when night falls. Pape's use of materials also explore this idea of acceptance - reminding us to witness the presence of now. The use of electrical wires, normally concealed, out of reach within walls, floors and ceilings, in order to conduct electricity safely are instead exposed and presented en masse. Visually minimal as giant jewellery - dazzling to witness and potentially deadly to touch - creating an extraordinary atmosphere conducted from materials traditionally considered ordinary.
There are parallels to fellow minimalist Dan Flavin, whose luminous atmospheres created with fluorescent tube lighting are reliant on literal electricity to operate. Pape's use of copper wires are disconnected from electrical charge - reliant on positioned overhead spot lights creating a controlled luminosity. Both artists imply faith within their use of light, Flavin's is internal as a sacristy lamp, Pape’s is external as reflected illumination as a ray of light or the gilt edge of a holy book.
Is the work the materials or is the work the environment that the piece sits within, or rather is tied to? Without the physical room, the work would not exist in its current form, it requires a means to keep the wire taught to enable the controlled displacement of lines to be maintained. And so, as with faith, a space is built, to officiate a practice. Is the artists also proposing a question within her series, does art truly exist outside the gallery walls?
It is interesting to also consider, just as the artist is proposing ideas of faith, positioning, authenticity and value, even after the artist's death in 2004, the work continues to be installed and seen, furthering a point of context and ownership. The lifespan of the artist is transient; the maker is eternal.
Lygia Pape, light installation Ttéia 1,C. Pinault Collection Paris. Image: M-A (A SPACE BETWEEN).
Lygia Pape - Weaving Space, Bourse de Commerce, Pinault Collection - Paris, until 26 January 2026.