Page 20 - ART GIANTS issue of World of Art (WOA) Contemporary Art Magazine

WORLD-CLASS ART ANTHONY MCCALL:

SPLIT SECOND

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is hosting Anthony McCall:
Split Second, an exhibition commemorating a decade of
the Film & Video program and its dedicated space within
the museum. Since its inception in 2014, this initiative
has provided a distinctive and comprehensive exploration
of video art and contemporary moving-image practices,
featuring works by renowned artists such as Christian
Marclay, Ragnar Kjartansson, Pierre Huyghe, Diana Thater,
William Kentridge, Javier Téllez, Sharon Lockhart, Monira Al
Qadiri, Alex Reynolds, and Marine Hugonnier, among others.
This time, the museum presents a selection of pieces by
Anthony McCall (b. 1946, St. Paul’s Cray, United Kingdom)
under the title Split Second. A British artist based in New

Anthony McCall | Split Second (Mirror) IV, 2024 View of the installation,
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Courtesy of the artist and Sean Kelly, New
York, Los Ángeles & Sprüth Magers. © Anthony McCall

York, McCall is a pioneer in expanded cinema, video
installations, and new artistic media. His work transforms
projected light into sculptural experiences that envelop
visitors in immersive environments. Beams of light evolve
into geometric formations, with dots expanding into lines,
both straight and curved, that sometimes intersect in the
space. These shifting configurations can be perceived as
air drawings, minimalist sculptures, or a radical form of
abstract cinema. Since the 1970s, McCall’s creations have
blended cinematography, sculpture, and drawing under
the concept of "solid light," where carefully controlled
projections form luminous planes within exhibition spaces.
These forms continuously change orientation, position,
and scale, appearing almost tangible and inviting viewers
to move through them. However, rather than providing a
physical sensation, they evoke a perpetual sense of wonder.
These elements divide and refract the symmetrical conical
light volumes within the gallery, seemingly multiplying their
movement. This new creation introduces varying projection
heights, producing elliptical and horizontal effects, while digital
Anthony McCall | Smoke Screen I – VI, 2017 Seven silver gelatin prints
mounted on Dibond. Courtesy of the artist and Sean Kelly, New York, Los animation manipulates the shapes, causing them to rotate and
Ángeles & Sprüth Magers. © Anthony McCall merge into a dynamic linear composition of spiraling planes.

20 WORLD of ART