james turrell’s grandest skyspace takes center stage in danica o. kus’ photography

Danica O. Kus captures James Turrell’s Skyspace in canberra

The latest photographic project by Danica O. Kus delves into James Turrell’s Within Without skyspace, situated within the Australian Garden of the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. The artwork represents Turrell’s largest and most complex work to date, and seeks to provide an intricate viewing chamber that redefines how we perceive the sky. Through Kus’s lens, viewers are invited on a captivating journey through the interplay of light, materials, and spatial dynamics within this iconic structure. 

an immersive exploration of ‘within without’

Through her lens, Danica O. Kus (find more here) invites viewers on an immersive journey through James Turrell’s Within Without, guiding them from entrance to exit. Entering through a long, sloping walkway, visitors encounter a striking square-based pyramid with soft red ochre walls. At its heart stands a stupa crafted from Victorian basalt, accented by a pool of turquoise water. Within the stupa lies the viewing chamber, a simple yet profound dome open to the sky, with a moonstone at its center mirroring the oculus above. Inside the skyspace, light takes on a painterly quality, heightening senses and amplifying both movement and sound, while the sky dances with shimmering hues, most notably at dawn and dusk, marking the delicate transition between night and day. Turrell’s creation urges us to pause and appreciate the subtle intricacies of the natural world, revealing the profound beauty of celestial architecture.

‘My work is about space and the light that inhabits it. It is about how you confront that space and plumb it with vision. It is about your seeing, like the wordless thought that comes from looking into fire,’ says James Turrell (find more here). 

project info: 

name: Within Without
artist: James Turrell | @jamesturell
location: National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, Australia 
photography: Danica O. Kus | @danica_o_kus_photography