Angela Bulloch

The first time I saw Angela Bulloch´s work was in the late 1980s when she exhibited in Cologne and our mutual friend Andreas Schulze acquired an artwork of hers. It was one of her early sculptures, a luminous globe (a Belisha beacon) with ever changing colours. She made this possible by using light in ingenious ways long before LED lights could replicate this effect - I dare to say that she actually invented it light years before the industry...

The first time I saw Angela Bulloch´s work was in the late 1980s when she exhibited in Cologne and our mutual friend Andreas Schulze acquired an artwork of hers. It was one of her early sculptures, a luminous globe (a Belisha beacon) with ever changing colours. She made this possible by using light in ingenious ways long before LED lights could replicate this effect - I dare to say that she actually invented it light years before the industry caught on.

Light has always been one of her main modes of expression; her recent solid stack sculptures, wall hangings and song drawing machines have broadened her spectrum. So on my way to Angela´s studio I was more than curious what she would be working on. The only information I had was that she is in a very productive period and that she herself had recommended visiting her studio when it gets dark - wow! Her artificial night sky, filled with constellations of stars, on the interior dome of the Frank Lloyd Wright rotunda in NYC came to mind as well as and my beloved “Sirius” (http://artitious.com/artistslocation/wurlitzer-collection) while I was on my way there.

Distant from these romantic thoughts, Angela instead subtly overpowered me with an agglomeration of ‘Pixel Boxes’ - lights that can produce millions of monochrome gradations of colour within a wooden casing. After I had calmed down a bit, she started playing with the lights like on an organ in a cathedral, creating very different shades and tones and rhythms. Bringing up associations from sacral to hip-hop, jazz and Buddhist meditation and much more which cannot be described.
Needless to say that this will blow any sensitive person away I am looking forward to the event in London accompanying the upcoming Frieze where Angela Bulloch´s masterpiece will be presented.

Her Studio is so close to the River Spree that you can almost touch the water – and lucky for her it even compliments her blue eyes. We could barely resist the temptation of trying the delicate tea she offered us, prepared with bottled spring water. Surrounded by friendly assistants, her entire working environment proved to be a delight to visit, adding the most enjoyable feelings to the way Angela Bulloch works.