ANTHONY JAMES is the first visual artist to exhibit on all seven continents, and now he’s bringing his groundbreaking work to Oklahoma Contemporary Art Center. His 2024 sculpture, 80” Truncated Triangular Trapezohedron, transforms light into an immersive experience through mirror-polished stainless steel, glass, and LEDs.
Born in Britain and based in California, James drew inspiration from Dürer’s Solid, the geometric form depicted in Albrecht Dürer’s 1514 engraving Melencolia I.
“I thought about [Durer’s Solid] for years, and after moving to Los Angeles, I felt compelled to build it—not to reinterpret it, but simply to see what this extraordinary shape would become when it existed in physical space rather than on paper,” James says.
He reimagines this centuries-old form as a contemporary sensory experience, exploring light, movement,
and the enduring human fascination with knowledge, proportion, and the limits of understanding.
As viewers move around the sculpture, its mirrored surfaces and illuminated interior continuously shift their perception of space. What initially appears static becomes dynamic, inviting real-time engagement with reflection, depth, and the passage of time.
For James, the emphasis is less on what is simply seen than on what is actively perceived and experienced. By transforming mathematical forms into contemplative environments, his work reflects the influences of minimalism, transcendentalism, and the light and space movement.
80” Truncated Triangular Trapezohedron is on view from October 15, 2026, through September 6, 2027, in the lobby of Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. oklahomacontemporary.org