BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
by Beatrice Thornton



Perhaps the most talked about artwork at the recent 2011 Armory Show in New York was the full-sized neon fence, a wrought-iron-styled thing in glowing light, which stood guard around the plot of Pier 94 labeled on the fair’s map as “Paul Kasmin, booth 1070.” Crafted by the Chilean artist Iván Navarro (b. 1972), The Armory Fence is accompanied by a new series of the artist’s signature illustionistic neon "doorways" -- still an amazing effect -- at the Kasmin Gallery in Chelsea. Dubbed “Heaven or Las Vegas,” the show features wall-hung light boxes whose shapes are based on the floor plans of 12 of the world’s most famous skyscrapers.

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