This September, a new permanent video installation by artist Diana Thater, projected from sundown to sunrise 365 days a year, will debut on the Wilshire Boulevard bridge at LACMA, marking the first permanent outdoor video installation in a public space by an artist, according to the Los Angeles Times. A monumental artwork will transform a significant urban artery into a continuous canvas, integrating light art into the daily experience of Los Angeles residents and visitors, representing a crucial evolution for artists using light as primary material in modern art in 2026.
While pioneering light artists like James Turrell created monumental, often secluded works, contemporary artists are now making light art permanent, public, and technologically integrated into urban landscapes.
As technology advances and public art initiatives grow, light art will increasingly become a ubiquitous and transformative element of our daily urban experience, moving beyond the gallery into the fabric of our cities.
The piece, described as the largest work of Thater’s career, signifies a crucial evolution for light art. It moves the medium from an experimental, often temporary display to an enduring, publicly integrated form, challenging established exhibition norms. The shift from private viewing to continuous public engagement redefines the accessibility and scope of light-based artistic expression.
Illuminating Public Spaces: Monumental Light Art's Ascent
A new permanent large-scale video installation by artist Diana Thater is being installed on the Wilshire Boulevard bridge at LACMA, according to the Los Angeles Times. The installation, titled 'Oo Fifi, Five Days In Claude Monet’s Garden, Part 3,' is expected to debut in September. This project will run approximately seven hours from sundown to sunrise, 365 days a year, integrating art into the urban rhythm and public consciousness.
The video footage projected for 'Oo Fifi' is from Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, France, notably filmed by Thater in 2025, according to the Los Angeles Times. The temporal anomaly in the filming date suggests a highly conceptual, future-oriented artistic approach, blurring conventional timelines for art creation. Thater's ambitious project shows how artists are now conceiving light art not just as an object to be viewed, but as an enduring, immersive environment integrated into the urban fabric.
