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This week is your last chance to see James Turrell's 'Breathing Light' at LACMA

Michael Juliano
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Michael Juliano
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James Turrell's 2013 retrospective at LACMA was the type of beautifully meditative big-ticket exhibition that made us feel incredibly fortunate to live in L.A.—and apparently made Drake feel like getting his dad dance moves on in the obviously Turrell-inspired "Hotline Bling" video.

The Turrell special exhibition wasn't the only chance to see the Pasadena native's mesmerizing light fields. Two such installations, "Breathing Light" and "Light Reignfall" have been on display at LACMA ever since—but both are set to close on May 29.

We'll get the worst of the bad news out of the way first: "Light Reignfall," a solitary sound bath-like chamber, requires advance tickets and is sold out through the rest of its run.

James Turrell, Light Reignfall.
Photograph: Courtesy Florian Holzherr

But "Breathing Light," a tranquil purple abyss tucked into the side of LACMA's Resnick Pavilion, offers access on a first-come, first-served basis. When you pick up your ticket at the LACMA box office, you can reserve a same-day time slot to explore the installation. The space is limited to eight people at a time, though, so reservations generally book pretty quickly in the morning. One of Turrell's signature "Ganzfeld" pieces, a type of installation which tries to eliminate all sense of depth perception, "Breathing Light" actually predates the retrospective; the piece has been on display since May 2012.

James Turrell, Breathing Light.
Photograph: Courtesy Florian Holzherr

The good news: This isn't goodbye forever. While neither installation has a return date, LACMA reminds us that both pieces are part of their permanent collection and will be on view again in the future. In their place, the special exhibition-hosting Resnick Pavilion is being reconfigured to better suit upcoming shows like "Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage" and the Pacific Standard Time exhibition "Found in Translation: Design in California and Mexico, 1915–1985."

In the meantime, if you're clamoring for a photogenic installation fix, we're sure this fall's "Infinity Mirrors" at the Broad will scratch that itch.

Also, here's the video for "Hotline Bling"—just in case you need some inspiration for your "Breathing Light" outing.

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