The Lightbox

Wood, florescent lights, plastic, slides, wiring
Variable dimensions
1996

Richard Humann • The Lightbox • Wood, florescent lights, plastic, slides, wiring • Variable dimensions • 1996

In the early 1990’s, the art scene in Brooklyn was beginning to get notoriety. Artists had begun moving there for over a decade for the more affordable rents and proximity to Manhattan. From as early as the mid-1980’s, galleries and alternative exhibition spaces had begun to spring-up throughout Greenpoint and Williamsburg, and by the end of the 1990’s, the art scene was in full stride.

For The Lightbox, Richard Humann gathered slides of many of the artists that called North Brooklyn home for their living or art studios. Painters, sculptors, photographers, video artists, et al., all sent in documentation of their work to be included in The Lightbox. The installation was comprised of twelve eight-foot long boxes that displayed the slides in table-like configurations. Although the viewer could look through each slide individually, they could also step back in the 3,000 sq. ft. exhibition space and view it as a whole, as the colors of the art works shone up into the space like sunlight through stained glass.

Photo credit: Joseph Silva / Richard Humann Studio