Photo-souvenir: Three light boxes for one wall 1989

Daniel Buren created Photo-souvenir: Three light boxes for one wall, with light boxes for one wall. Buren’s stripes are like a visual mantra; simple, but somehow they open up space. The material presence of those alternating bands of red and white is so crisp, so contained, yet they set off a chain reaction in your brain. These light boxes, what are they really holding? The smooth surfaces hide their construction, but the light betrays the layers. They almost look like they have been photoshopped, something about the registration between the red and the white is so clean, but the stripes remind you, it’s real. I'm thinking of Agnes Martin, with her quiet grids, and how both artists use repetition and basic forms to make something meditative. There's a kind of beauty that sneaks up on you. Buren wants us to think about space, perception, and what happens when art plays with architecture. It’s not just looking; it’s an experience.