PETER ALEXANDER

Known for his translucent, meditative sculptures that appear to emulate light from within, Alexander spent his decades-long career exploring the perceptual relationships between light and color. A key figure in the Los Angeles art scene in the 1960s—when he developed his iconic polyester resin sculptures—he was a vanguard of the California Light and Space movement alongside James Turrell, Robert Irwin, and others. Evoking the unique atmosphere and natural landscape of his native Southern California, as well as art historical references to Mark Rothko’s bold use of color and Johannes Vermeer’s sensitive depictions of light, his work inspires personal contemplation and encourages sustained looking on behalf of the viewer.

In Seoul, Pace will present urethane sculptures created by Alexander between 2012 and 2020. Putting aside polyester resin in the 1970s due to its toxicity, he began working with urethane in the 2010s. Featuring prismatic block and wedge sculptures along with vibrant wall-mounted works, a number of which will be publicly shown for the first time, this exhibition will provide a focused overview of the artist’s nuanced approach to the interplay of light, shadow, reflection, and color. The four works dated to 2020—Out of Sight (Green Pink Bar Combo), Cat’s Meow, Cold Hands Warm Heart, and 3/9/20 Tangerine Box C—represent the culmination of his life’s practice.

Alexander’s ethereal 2/5/18 (Flo Yellow Needle) from 2018 will also figure prominently in the presentation. The last sculptural shape that Alexander investigated in his career, the needle is emblematic of his singular ability to transform space. Possessing both ephemeral and tactile qualities, the sculpture completely changes form depending on the environment in which it is being viewed, its translucent edges appearing and disappearing from different vantage points.

This will be the first solo show of Alexander’s work in Korea, situating his work within a cultural context that unlocks new resonances and shared affinities with a Korean aesthetic tradition privileging restraint, perception, and the experiential qualities of objects rather than overt gesture. In Seoul—a city defined by its interplay between density and openness, tradition and technological advancement—Alexander’s work invites viewers to slow down and engage with light as a physical and emotional presence. This sensibility also aligns with the legacy of Dansaekhwa and Korean artists’ broader engagement with phenomenology and materiality. In this way, Alexander’s work can be understood not only as historically integral to the Light and Space movement but also as art that is remarkably multivalent and contemporary.

Over the course of his career, Alexander showed his work at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the San Diego Museum of Art; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; and other international institutions. His work can be found in many of these collections as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, California; and other major museums.