In his light-based art practice, Leo Villareal explores the relationship between algorithmically determined systems and chance-based operations. His works range from large-scale public art installations to panels like Red Life that operate on the scale of easel painting. Here, he has written a program that illuminates incandescent bulbs at random; although at times viewers may feel as though they have spotted a pattern, this eureka moment vanishes when that pattern is undermined. Villareal began working with light in 1997 in order to make art all individuals could relate and respond to. In his view, light is both universal and seductive, rendering it the perfect medium with which to address a wide range of audiences.

Label from The Swindle: Art Between Seeing and Believing, May 26–October 28, 2018