James Turrell’s exhibition After Glow, on view at Gagosian’s Burlington Arcade gallery until 20 February 2026, presents the artist’s practice in an intimate setting. And it’s truly gorgeous! Known for immersive light and space environments, Gagosian here presents a concise group of works on paper, photographs, and plans that span the conceptual and perceptual foundations of Turrell’s engagement with light.

“I’m interested in the thingness of light, not that light is revealing something about an object or another thing, but that light becomes a revelation itself.” James Turrell.

The exhibition focuses on a series of woodcuts and etchings based on Aten Reign (2014), Turrell’s acclaimed transformation of the Guggenheim Museum’s rotunda in New York. In these works, concentric ovals in subtle colour gradients condense the spatial and temporal experience of the original installation into two-dimensional forms. Rather than serving as records of the installation, the prints stand alone, exploring how colour, shape, and perception can operate independently of the architectural space.

Shifts in tone create a sense of depth and luminosity without relying on illusion, reflecting Turrell’s long-standing interest in what he calls “seeing yourself see.” Removed from scale and spectacle, the prints reveal that Turrell’s practice is as much about drawing, geometry, and visual psychology as it is about technology.

Alongside the Aten Reign works are photographs and graphic materials related to Roden Crater, Turrell’s ongoing land art project and magnum opus in Arizona’s Painted Desert. A carbon print of the crater’s sky aperture captures a dense, vivid blue that challenges perception, while a site plan in glass and gold leaf shows the precise celestial alignments built into the volcanic cone. These works highlight the project’s dual nature as both artwork and observatory, at the crossroads of art, astronomy, and ritual architecture. Stunning!

The compact rooms of Gagosian’s Burlington Arcade give the exhibition an intimate and contemplative feel, in contrast to his large-scale light installations. A small retail component, including crystal light panels and perfumes developed with Lalique inspired by the Arizona desert, extends the artist’s exploration of sensory experience. After Glow is a quiet, luminous retreat, a luminous antidote to the dark chill of winter!