Alternating pink and "gold" 1967

Editor: Here we have Dan Flavin’s "Alternating pink and 'gold'," from 1967, which looks like an arrangement of vertical fluorescent light tubes. The whole gallery is awash in warm colors. What strikes me is how such simple materials can create such a powerful atmosphere. How do you interpret this work? Curator: For me, Flavin’s work is deeply connected to the symbolic weight we assign to light itself. Throughout history, light has represented enlightenment, divinity, and even life. In that sense, it always suggests a cultural or metaphysical realm outside itself. Does Flavin use these pre-existing notions, or disrupt them? Editor: That's interesting, because initially, I thought of it as purely formal, like a geometric exploration of color and space. Curator: And you are not wrong to read the formal elements first! But I would suggest that he engages with established symbolic languages surrounding "light." The color choices reinforce or interrupt such connections: Pink, often associated with the body, versus "gold," tied to purity and the divine. They are intentionally "alternating", creating an aesthetic system. Are these familiar symbols in tension or in harmony here? Editor: I see your point. The very act of alternating could be about creating a dialogue, or perhaps revealing some ambiguity within those familiar symbols themselves? Curator: Exactly. Flavin asks us to re-evaluate the meanings and connections we unconsciously assign to light and color through this juxtaposition, this almost playful "alternation". What did you find most fascinating? Editor: I think understanding the symbolic layers beneath what initially seemed purely formal makes the work far more intriguing. Curator: Precisely. Hopefully, it offers you something to contemplate as you move onward.