Noguchi turned a paper lantern into sculpture. A new exhibition brings his biggest one back

A familiar light, seen at another scale

The Noguchi Museum in New York opened No Ordinary Light: Akari at 75 on November 4, placing Isamu Noguchi’s paper-and-bamboo lights alongside his works in stone, metal and clay. The exhibition runs through September 5, 2027.noguchi +1

Among the pieces is the rarely exhibited 200D, created around 1985 and the largest Akari Noguchi produced. Roughly two metres across, it is presented within a pine enclosure designed for his 1986 Venice Biennale exhibition. The scale makes a strong contrast with the small lamps that helped make his designs familiar in homes.vogue +1

From lantern craft to light sculpture

Noguchi began developing Akari in 1951 after encountering the traditional lantern craft of Gifu, Japan. Manufacturer Ozeki describes how the translucent washi paper diffuses light while bamboo ribs give the shades their structure; irregularities and wrinkles in the paper are part of the design. Noguchi also developed standing models with slender wire legs and hanging forms shaped using carved moulds.ozeki-lantern

Over the following decades he created more than 200 Akari variations. The exhibition follows his use of the lights in settings ranging from domestic rooms to large installations, treating them not simply as fixtures but as works whose effect changes with their surroundings.vogue +1

From a living room to Venice

One display draws on an early presentation at the home of designers Charles and Ray Eames. Another revisits the 1986 Biennale, where Noguchi’s presentation brought together work in different materials. Archival sketchbooks offer another view of how he developed the forms.vogue

The exhibition is on view in Long Island City, Queens. The Old Astoria Neighborhood Association says visitors can see it free on Friday, November 6, during the museum’s Free First Friday, without a reservation.oana-ny