Glendale Arts presents LIGHTS FORM ACTION!, a solo exhibition by artist Ashoke Chhabra that opened on Oc. 31 and is on view through Nov. 21 at ace/121 Gallery in Glendale. The public is invited to an opening reception on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 6-8 p.m. where they’ll have the opportunity to meet the artist, whose distinctive creative practice has earned him recognition across the intersecting worlds of art, craft and design.

LIGHTS FORM ACTION! is a collection of illuminated sculptures that explores the interplay of light, geometry and form through striking constructions that transform rigid materials into eye-catching works of art.
Chhabra describes the creative process as a non-linear “series of failures, happy accidents and modest victories.” On occasions where the “endless plodding is punctuated by the spark of an idea,” the process results in the new line of work on view at the gallery he calls the Chaos Series, “so named for the confluence of angles and facets that characterize much of the work.”

The Los Angeles-based artist primarily uses 17 ply baltic birch plywood and acrylic, along with a mixture of adhesives and fasteners, in the creation of his pieces. His application of a “modular form of fabrication in which a component of the same design and of varying scale is joined, stacked up, twisted, or reversed” creates contours that “in one moment … can evoke musical rhythm while in next geologic formations.” 

Chhabra’s use of lighting is also a motif that acts as a defining facet of his work. A lighting feature is nestled in each hollow form he assembles in order to highlight the skeletal geometry unique to each object. 

“Lights are beacons. Lights are dynamic. They draw our gaze,” Chhabra said. “I have sought to leverage these qualities in order to captivate the viewer. In this way I hope to assign an ethereal quality to forms that might otherwise appear heavy, brooding and unapproachable.”

ace/121 Gallery is operated by Glendale Arts and located at 121 N. Kenwood St. in Glendale. The gallery is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free on-site parking directly adjacent to the gallery is made possible by the YMCA Glendale for opening reception attendees. 

Visitors are encouraged to check ace121gallery.com for additional details.