The whole world was stunned by Kanye’s gift of a hologram of Kim Kardashian’s father for her 40th birthday. Robert Kardashian passed away in 2003 and Kanye went all out to give his wife a present that was quite literally out of this world. The hologram is said to have been created by Kaleida, a European company that specialises in creating lifelike holograms. And it got us thinking, surely there are artists who use holograms too? We found a few, so here they are!
Firstly, let’s answer the most obvious question: what is a hologram? A hologram is more familiar to science and medical research than to the world of art. Holograms are images produced from the interference pattern created when a beam of light reflects off the surface of an object and is crossed with another beam split from a direct light source. When re-illuminated, the interference pattern results in the illusion of a 3-D object of full volume. And, now you’ve had your science lesson for today, here are some artists who have used holograms too!
teamLab
Let’s start with the obvious, shall we?! teamLab is famous for its use of light. The international art collective’s work might not technically be holograms, they’re pretty close. teamLab comprises a whole host of individuals including artists, programmers, mathematicians and CG animators, so it should come as no surprise that their work is so impressive. Seeking to navigate the confluence of art, science, technology and the natural world, teamLab works to transcend boundaries in a beautiful, technological way.
Ann McCoy
These glass plate holograms by American artist Anne McCoy are from the 1990s, and they are part of the Getty Museum’s collection, the only institution to hold original glass holograms. We just love the butterfly reflections in an otherwise pretty ghostly work of art!
Louise Bourgeois
Louise Bourgeois’ deep red holograms are not what we expect when we hear the name Louise Bourgeois. Her holograms were a result of a collaboration with C-Project, a New York-based holographic studio that also prompted the production of Anne McCoy’s work. The focus on the red chair looks like something out of a film, with red being the colour of the base plate in the production process.
Ed Ruscha
Ed Ruscha is famous for his textual artwork, so it should not come as a shock that when he tried his hand at producing holograms, he included some words too. His almost ominous work THE END pays homage to the traditions of graphic design
Bruce Nauman
Bruce Nauman’s series Making Faces comprises images of himself stretching his own face. These holograms were projected onto glass and could easily be mistaken for photographs.
Text Lizzy Vartanian
