We live in a day and age when, a large number of artists can achieve recognition. The consequence of this is that it is difficult to sift through layers of rubbish to find art that is truly inspired, and some great works are forgotten or never noticed in their lack of glitz.

The work of visual artist James Turrell might have fallen into this forgotten category, if not for a bit of luck and work that speaks for itself. His art is so simple, yet so incomprehensible. He builds rooms that are completely uniform and free from decoration, but through the manipulation of light within these rooms, he creates a series of optical illusions that remove perspective and trick the senses.

Knowing Light, Turrellʼs current show at the Henry Art Gallery, presents us with three such pieces. The premier of these three, Spread, is a purple room filled with illusions. As you enter the piece, the only apparent light source is a series of lights set around the entrance, but the color of the walls is so overpowering it seems as if the light is exuding from the walls themselves and that you are standing within a gigantic purple lamp.

After your eyes adjust to the light, it seems as though purple haze is floating in the air, which has by now become slightly moist. The front wall appears to be nothing more than another purple wall, but of a slightly brighter hue. Only after several minutes of inspection can you begin to perceive what is really going on. Perhaps the sound will tell you.

Another one of Turrellʼs pieces in the Henry, the Skyspace, is a new incarnation of a type of piece he is famous for, yet it is one of only four such public spaces in the world. It is a place of meditation, an urban sanctuary; an inspiration in its mystery and quiet contemplative power over all who see it. It will remain a permanent fixture in the gallery after Knowing Light is dismantled upon the exhibitionʼs closure in February.

Turrell has used the profits from his artwork, grants, and cattle ranch to purchase Roden Crater, a natural cinder volcano in Arizona, and finance the construction of a network of tunnels below and within the crater for viewing the sky, sun, moon, and stars in ways inspired by the Incan, Mayan, and Egyptian civilizations. In 2005, Turrell plans to open this masterpiece to the public, which he hopes will become “a singular haven of beauty and spirituality.”