Photo of the artwork #3x6´-Fourfold
Robert Irwin, #3 x 6' Four Fold, 2012-2013. PoMo Collection © The Estate of Robert Irwin / BONO 2025.
Date
2012-2013
Medium
Light, shadow, reflection, color
Dimensions
182.9 x 41.6 x 11.7 cm
#3x6´-Fourfold
Robert Irwin

Light and shadows blend in the space, creating a dynamic dance on the walls. Every colour and nuance shift with each step we take. This is the magic of the artwork: the fluorescent tubes, which at first appear as simple light sources, transform into tools for shaping light and creating an entirely new experience. Robert Irwin was the artist who, in the 1960s, took the industrial fluorescent tube and turned it into a significant element of art. For him, it wasn’t just about the tube itself, but about how light could be used to manipulate space and engage our senses.

The work almost communicates with the place it occupies, transforming in response to its surroundings and our presence. The tubes are wrapped in layers of plastic film and strips of tape, altering both the colour and intensity of the light. This creates a holistic sensory experience – a completely new space filled with light, colour and reflection.

Irwin wanted to encourage us to pause and be present in the moment, without getting caught up in associations. Through simple shapes and titles, he invites us to experience the art through our senses, reminding us how light and space are inseparable from the reality around us.