Ivan Navarro

Iván Navarro is known internationally for his sociopolitically charged sculptures of neon and fluorescent light. The sculptures and installations of Iván Navarro grow out of the legacy of minimalism and modern design, but they subvert the cool detachment of their forms with pointed sociopolitical critique. Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1972, Navarro grew up under Pinochet’s brutal military dictatorship. In order to better understand this dark history, Navarro uses light—a symbol of hope and truth—as his medium, constructing chairs, ladders, doors, and even shopping carts out of neon and fluorescent lights. With their ambient glow and live current, the works are equally seductive and unnerving. In this first monograph on the artist, Cay Sophie Rabinowitz considers the personal stories underlying Navarro’s sleek, industrially produced works. In conversation with Hilarie M. Sheets, Navarro discusses his relationship to modernism, minimalism, and language.

Cay Sophie Rabinowitz is cofounder and editor of Fantom, a quarterly journal on photography. She was previously artistic director of Art Basel and U.S. senior editor of Parkett. Hilarie M. Sheets is an art critic and a frequent contributor to ARTnews.