“Leo Villareal: Interstellar,” September 21 through January 19

Saturday, September 21, through Sunday, January 19

Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA

With its creator's artistic practice belonging to a tradition that intertwines nature, technology, and human experience, Leo Villareal: Interstellar, on display at Davenport's Figge Art Museum from September 21 through January 19, will showcase nine works from light sculptor Villareal’s Nebula series, inviting patrons into the realms of space, time, and perception through LEDs and custom software.

In Interstellar, Villareal's sculptures emit a hypnotic, diffused light, drawing inspiration from celestial imagery and capturing the dynamism of space through their interplay of colors and shapes. Each artwork features a unique sequence created through generative code, ensuring that no two sculptures are alike. The exhibition includes selections from Villareal’s NFT (non-fungible token) series Cosmic Bloom, which reflects the ordered randomness found in nature, starting with simple geometric forms that evolve into complex, dynamic layers. These layers result from a blend of human control, engineering, and chance, highlighting the intersection of art and technology.

"Interstellar invites viewers to immerse themselves in an exhibition where art and technology converge," said Figge Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson. "Villareal's work exemplifies the endless possibilities of light as a medium, and we're thrilled to bring this experience to the Figge."

Leo Villareal is renowned for his large-scale, site-specific light installations. Notably, he is creating Evanescent Field, a light sculpture which will illuminate the Figge Art Museum facade in 2025. Once completed, it will be the largest public artwork in Iowa. Villareal’s prominent works include The Bay Lights on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge, Illuminated River in London, which connects nine bridges through a single artwork, and Multiverse, a volumetric installation connecting the East and West buildings of the National Gallery of Art.

Additionally, works by Villareal are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Renwick Gallery and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, as well as in private collections. His artistic creations have also been on display at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; Madison Square Park in New York City; the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art; the PS 1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, New York; the Northpark Mall in Dallas; and Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Leo Villareal: Interstellar will be on display in the Davenport venue's third-floor galleries from September 21 through 19, with regular museum hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays) and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Museum admission is $4-10, and for more information, call (563)326-7804 and visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.