“The genesis of energy is central to the mystery of our existence as animate beings in an inanimate universe.” Fred Eversley
Fred Eversley was an electronic engineer who turned curiosity and experimentation into sculptures that capture his fascination with light and energy. His work beautifully merges art and science in a practice that’s defined by trial and error.
His career mirrors the evolution of California’s post-war technological boom that sprang from defense contracting and aerospace engineering in the 1940s and ’50s. In the 1960s Eversley moved west from New York to work for Wyle Laboratories and he eventually settled in Venice, which was a nexus of creative expression that nurtured the careers of Light and Space peers Larry Bell and James Turrell. Venice’s creative energy, people, and weather informed Eversley’s practice that harnesses light and energy within his work.
The artist’s intricately fabricated parabolic lenses are cast and dyed in polyester resin formed into perfectly round, concave structures that channel light into a single focal point.
Looking inside the sculptures becomes a kinetic experience in itself, as each piece refracts light and images differently. Looking deep into the sculptures feels like being inside a glass marble, they are simple, captivating works, that belie their painstaking and laborious creation.
Eversley’s latest solo show called Chromospheres at David Kordansky Gallery features works 50 years in the making. As I looked at the title list from the show, each piece featured two dates, one between 1969 – 1974 and the other, 2018. Apparently the pieces were conceptualized at the earlier date and finally realized in 2018 when materials needed for their fabrication were more readily available.
The grouping of the 10 works together was a visual treat, giving viewers the opportunity to walk around, through and up close to them. It’s an incredible opportunity to see so many of his works at once.
Chromospheres is on view through March 2, 2019
Culture Shock Art 