Lawrence Weiner: To Allow The Light

Lawrence Weiner (b. 1942, Bronx, New York) is one of the leading figures of conceptual art. Since the late 1960s, when he first gained international recognition, Weiner has used language as the primary vehicle for his work, challenging traditional assumptions about the nature of the art object. The wall installations that have been a primary medium for Weiner since the 1970s consist solely of words and related graphics, poetic phrases rendered in a nondescript lettering painted on walls. The artist has had major solo exhibitions at museums throughout the world, including a large-scale retrospective opening at the Whitney Museum of American Art this fall. In addition to his text-based works, Weiner is well-known as a prolific filmmaker and has created dozens of artist books.

Site Commission

In keeping with Ullens Center for Contemporary Art’s mission to engage with artists who have defined contemporary art practice, UCCA has invited legendary conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner to create a new, large-scale work, presented in tandem with UCCA’s grand opening. Entitled TO ALLOW THE LIGHT, the work is exemplary of Weiner’s text-based art practice: a colorful and dynamic combination of lettering and graphics, in both English and Chinese, presented on the back wall of the UCCA nave, adjacent to the café. Weiner’s project initiates UCCA’s ongoing series of site commission, which invites artists to create new works that extend UCCA’s visual arts program beyond the exhibition halls, activating the Center’s public spaces. The commission at UCCA marks Weiner’s first exhibition in Mainland China.