James Turrell creates new work of light art in the Ore Mountains

The US artist James Turrell, celebrated as a master of light, has created an impressive light installation for the Erzgebirge. The artwork "Beyond Horizons" was created for the "Purple Path", an art and sculpture trail of the European Capital of Culture 2025. The artwork has now been officially presented at the end of the cultural year. Andrea Pier, Managing Director of the European Capital of Culture, spoke of a "glowing finale".

A new art gallery was created especially for the artwork on the site of a former coal mine. According to Mayor Thomas Lein (SPD), the city has invested 6.6 million euros in the project. Lein said that he hoped to create a new place of pilgrimage for art enthusiasts.

Visitors first pass through a monumental portal that is reminiscent of the mouth of a tunnel. Inside is a completely white room that is bathed in a light of changing colors. The room dissolves as you look at it. The whole thing is broken up by a so-called stroboscopic effect.

Curator: For Turrell, light is like the paint on the painter's brush

With its many works of art, the "Purple Path" takes up the narrative of the region "Everything comes from the mountain", explained curator Alexander Ochs. Light and the miners' longing for it are closely linked to mining, as it was practiced in the Ore Mountains for centuries. "For Turrell, light is like the paint on the painter's brush," explained Ochs. In this way, Turrell turns the entire room into an immaterial work of art consisting of light. And the viewer himself becomes part of the artwork.

The light installation will be open to visitors on a regular basis from this weekend. However, the available time slots of half an hour each are already fully booked. The new hall is located at the "Kohlewelt" mining museum in Oelsnitz/Erzgebirge.