above: The collection will be on display at The Glass House through December 15.
Photography by Michael Biondo; portrait by Barbara Kasten Studio
This year, the iconic Glass House becomes a living canvas for celebrated artist Barbara Kasten. The exhibition, “Structure, Light, Land,” spans the entire 49-acre site, activating not just the architecture of Philip Johnson’s 1949 Glass House, but also its surrounding structures with Kasten’s signature interplay of abstraction, architecture and optical experimentation.
Kasten is best known for transforming photography into a three-dimensional experience. Drawing from her background in sculpture and set design, she constructs geometric compositions using light, mirrors, colored plexiglass and industrial materials. Over her five-decade career, she has developed multiple iconic series, several of which are featured in this exhibition alongside new pieces made expressly for The Glass House. “She created new iterations of digital projections, cyanotypes and sculptures located throughout the site,” says Christa Carr, Director of Communications at The Glass House.
The main house features a transparent sculpture, created to respond directly to the building’s seamless boundaries between inside and out. In the Brick House and Painting Gallery, viewers encounter Kasten’s intimate, saturated paintings, adding a new layer of interior abstraction. Inside Da Monsta, Kasten has installed a grouping of vivid geometric blocks that assert their presence against the expressive curves and all-white interior of Johnson’s postmodern structure. The Sculpture Gallery features colorful I-beams stretched across the tiered interior, creating a contrast between the site’s permanent exhibit and Kasten’s pieces. I-beams are also positioned throughout the landscape, creating lines of tension between nature and industry.
Through color, reflection and scale, “Structure, Light, Land” reframes The Glass House as both subject and stage.
The Glass House is proud to present this collection on display through December 15. Tickets to The Glass House can be purchased at theglasshouse.org.