Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) is proud to present LIT! Site-Specific Installations by Maria Burundarena and Luftwerk, on view from November 7, 2025 through February 15, 2026.
From the late 1950s through the 1970s, California artists pioneered the Light and Space movement — creating immersive installations that used light and spatial dynamics to transform perception. Emerging in parallel with Minimalism in New York, this West Coast movement shared an interest in industrial materials and geometric forms but prioritized singular, sensory experiences over repetition. Their installations — ranging from glowing sculptures to neon-lit rooms — were both ethereal and precise, requiring active sensory engagement and inviting viewers to see and experience space in new ways.
The artists featured in LIT! continue this legacy through site-specific works that challenge viewers’ sense of space and place using light, color and material experimentation.
Burundarena, an emerging artist based in Chicago, who combines photography, print media, collage, reflective materials and light in large-scale installations. She cuts, reassembles and condenses fragments materials to explore multiple dimensions and challenge perception.
Burundarena constructs immersive environments and distinctive objects that reflect the visual intensity of the digital age. Her luminous, saturated palette evokes a world shaped by screens. She emphasizes the urgency and boldness in her use of materials. By transforming surfaces, she heightens sensory perception, creating experiences that are both immersive and physically engaging — resisting the flatness of digital imagery.
Luftwerk — the internationally acclaimed Chicago-based duo of Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero — has created a new site-specific, immersive painted environment in which light, color and form merge into a dynamic whole. Once illuminated, the work contracts and expands, continuously reshaping the space. The interplay of light and color generates a harmonious, meditative atmosphere that sharpens or softens spatial perception. To offer further insight into Luftwerk’s practice, several sculptural works from their 2023 "Light Over Light" series will be presented in the adjacent gallery.
Free, public events taking place during the run of LIT! include:
- Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 7 • 5-8 p.m. (CT)
- Curator Gallery Talk: Saturday, Nov. 15 • 11:30 a.m. (CT)
- Family Day: Saturday, Jan. 24 • 1-3 p.m. (CT)
Free gallery tours are available for groups and organizations. To schedule a docent-led tour, contact Janet Bloch, LCA's executive director, at jbloch@lubeznikcenter.org. To schedule a children's tour, contact Nelsy Marcano at nmarcano@lubeznikcenter.org.
For more information about LIT!, please contact Jessie Sexton, LCA's marketing manager at 219-874-4900 or jsexton@LubeznikCenter.org.
About LCA
LCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides access to compelling exhibitions and programs that explore contemporary ideas. The organization is located at 101 W. 2nd Street at the lakefront in Michigan City, Ind. Admission is free year-round. For more information about LCA, please visit www.LubeznikCenter.org.
Image Credits:
Maria Burundarena, Hologram of a Memory
Maria Burundarena, (detail) Hologram of a Memory
Luftwerk, Circle Study
Luftwerk, Polychromatic Edition #1
About Lubeznik Center for the Arts
Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides access to compelling exhibitions and programs that explore contemporary ideas. The organization is located at 101 W. 2nd Street at the lakefront in Michigan City, Indiana. Admission is free year-round. For more information, please visit LubeznikCenter.org or call 219.874.4900.
LCA HOURS (All hours are Central)
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 10 AM – 5 PM
- Tuesday: Closed
- Saturday & Sunday: 11 AM – 4 PM