Shimmering neon lights... this city is made of light... - “Neon lights”, Kraftwerk, 1978.
The Doors, The Kinks, U2, Björk and Cut Copy, among others, have included neon in their lyrics. It is present in songs, in cities like Las Vegas and New York that dress up with lights, in advertisements that can be seen in the streets at night and day, in pharmacies, bars and stores; and more than decoration of avenues and means of diffusion, it is a constant symbol in contemporary aesthetics.
Who would have thought that an element of the periodic table would become so important after its discovery in 1898? Since their first appearances, between 1913 and 1925, neon tubes have been a feature of advertising in cities: in Paris in an ad for Cinzano; in California at a dealership Packard; and in Mexico City at the National Lottery, followed by beer. Crown.
The boom of this industry was in the thirties and forties; even so, neon seems timeless, its reddish lights look contemporary even with the passage of time, especially in artistic creation.
The Argentine Gyula Kôsice introduced it to the art scene in 1946, and is known as the first artist to make a piece with this technique; later, Lucio Fontana presented a white light sculpture hanging from the ceiling resembling a doodle at the IX Milan Triennale.
The experimentation of technology in art and the interest in redefining the artistic work through new media, attracted the interest of some artists to use the technology of the moment; for that reason neon had a strong presence in the sixties, relating with the light art and with kinetic art, due to its luminous dynamism. Thus, it went from being an advertising emblem placed on buildings to being exhibited in galleries and museums.
Conceptual and minimalist artists applied neon to create different aesthetic discourses; among them the consecrated ones such as Dan Flavin, who was among the first to exhibit chromatic light sculptures; Joseph Kosuth, who having declared himself against sensoriality and in favor of neutrality in art, used it for his tautological phrases; and Bruce Nauman, who works with it to make words and human silhouettes. Other artists also made phosphorescent proposals at the time, such as Stephen Antonakos and the pop artist Chryssa, a pioneer in this technique.
Contemporary artists working with written language have appropriated this urban aesthetic and their textual practices, which evoke those illuminated street signs, are read and seen; and allude to popular culture with their artificial lights that present philosophical, reflective and humorous phrases. Tracey Emin, Glenn Ligon, Martin Creed, Doug Aitken, Jack Pierson, Jung Lee, Claire Fontaine, Sylvie Fleury and Cerith Wyn Evans are some of those who write words with neon, as well as Mexicans Emilio Chapela, Stefan Brüggemann, Teresa Serrano, and Diego Matthai, who in 1968 used this medium.
It also appears in contemporary production in minimalist environments that intervene the space and envelop the atmosphere with color, as in the proposals of Doug Wheeler, James Turrell, François Morellet and Bill Culbert, where sensoriality is paramount. The neon tubes are presented in lines and geometric figures mounted on the wall, on the floor or floating in the middle of the place.
In boxes with mirrors, pictorial traces of light and large-scale portraits... The aesthetics of neon persists in art, music, and advertising (even being replaced by LED and plasma screens, which would not have been possible without neon technology). This element will continue to be characteristic of the city, galleries and museums -which, by the way, there are museums dedicated to it. It is no longer only the city, but also the art that is conceived by light.
Photographers: Alexis Vasilikos