2020
stainless steel, specialized glass, LED lighting
127 x 127 x 127 cm
Anthony James’s Portal sculptures are inspired by sacred geometry, the universal language of geometrical shapes and proportions echoing across nature and the cosmos, from the tiniest cell to the structures of the universe itself. These forms are encoded in our collective unconscious, shards of the kaleidoscopic totality of creation that we all recognise and intuitively relate to.
Exhibited across all seven continents, including Antarctica, the Portals are made from titanium and glass veined with LED lights, a muscular fusion of technology and mysticism inviting the viewer to map their consciousness into this wider continuum of inner and outer, the spiritual and the manifest.
“As above, so below” goes the famous epithet that forms the foundation of hermetic thought, on which both European and Islamic mysticism are based. It points to the connection between celestial energies and terrestrial events, and the actions of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water asserting their elemental characteristics over it all. The glyphs common to hermetic languages and symbolism, whether associated with traditional religion, spirituality or heresy, share a geometrical language transcending them all.
Gleaming like diamonds with a cosmic light, James’s Portals can be viewed through the Materialist traditions of Minimalist and Light Art, or as a tangible embodiment of immanence and the urge towards a syncretic understanding of our place in the grander scheme of things.
Anthony James (b. 1974) is a British-American artist based in Los Angeles. He is renowned for his monumental sculptures and installations that explore themes of minimalism, materiality, and light. His „Portals” series, featuring geometric forms illuminated with LED lights, exemplifies his focus on alchemy and experiential art. James describes his work as „evoking pictorial depictions of the cosmos, alluding to notions of mysticism, ethereality, spirituality, and science, all the while anchored through the use of weighty, industrial materials.”
James’s work has been exhibited internationally and is part of collections such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Palm Springs Art Museum. Sculptures have also been featured in public installations, notably at Frieze Los Angeles in 2025 and the Mayfair Sculpture Trail in London.
