ENCINITAS, CA – April 4, 2008 – Lux Art Institute welcomes Daniel Wheeler from June 4 through July 12, 2008 as he presents his new photographic body of work, GULP (Generative Urban Landscape Project), and work-in-progress, the Blindspot project.

Visitors will “see art happen” as they observe Wheeler construct Blindspot and watch a video of Wheeler diving into pools to create the images seen in GULP.

Debuting at Lux, the images from GULP represent the ubiquitous Southern California pool as the medium through which the surrounding landscape is interpreted. With scuba gear and his underwater camera, Wheeler dives into swimming pools and shoots the view above. The photographs that result – 40 in. x 40 in. and 54 in. x 54 in. – are taken looking up through the water at the greenery and sky above.

“The peculiar garden that is urban Southern California would not exist without added water,” said Wheeler. “With my photography it’s viewed through that chlorinated lens."

During his residency at Lux, Wheeler will be working on Blindspot – a set of photos of locations in Southern California. With a portable photographic tool that allows him to shoot 360 degree views of Lux’s four-acre site, Wheeler will produce a sculptural photographic column for exhibit while visitors look on. Constructed using paper, tape and wire, the column, which will be about 12 feet high and 40 inches across, will display images of the Lux landscape. A figure representing the viewer will be a “blindspot” in the foreground.

“Our galaxy presents an abundance of stars and galactic material that we cannot see past,” said Wheeler. “We can look above and below, but we have a blindspot, created by our own presence. As we have become more aware of the distortional effects of our existence, it gets harder to trust the view. Blindspot reflects these concerns.”

For the last twenty years, Wheeler has produced installations, drawings, photographs, performances, and sculptures using the Los Angeles landscape as his muse. Once called a “free-form cultural anthropologist,” he is known for enticing viewers out of their learned response to the environment into a sensory encounter of it.

Exhibited nationally and internationally, Wheeler’s work is included in private and public collections across the country.

“Wheeler has discovered a view that’s unexplored, yet part of our lives,” said Lux Director, Reesey Shaw. “And like an artifact from an extinct civilization, he presents his discovery with the magic that accompanies a fresh surprise.”

Wheeler’s completed work will be on view at Lux through August 2, 2008.

About Lux Art Institute
Lux Art Institute, located in Encinitas, opened its doors to the public in November 2007 and is redefining the modern museum experience with its artist-in-residence program. Artists live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art. 

Throughout the year, Lux invites significant regional, national, and international artists to participate in the Lux residency and encourages visitors from across the country to observe and engage with them. This one-of-a-kind institution invites visitors to not only “see art,” but also to “see art happen.”

Slated to be the first “green” (LEED certified) art museum in California and located alongside one of Southern California’s remaining coastal wetlands, Lux’s four-acre site overlooks the San Elijo Lagoon and is surrounded by a wildlife preserve that stretches to the Pacific Ocean. In an effort to seamlessly meld the conservation and restoration of art beyond the museum walls, an array of rare native plants blends naturally into the nearby preserve.

Santa Monica, California-based Renzo Zecchetto, AIA – whose other significant architectural projects include the award-winning Church of the Nativity in Fairbanks Ranch, Calif. and the Alusa Printing Company in Santiago, Chile – designed the two-story building to utilize energy-saving strategies such as the use of natural light and recycled materials to preserve resources for future generations. 

Lux Hours: Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10 for two visits.

For more information about Lux Art Institute, please visit www.luxartinstitute.org or call 760.436.6611.