Spatial Experience in Contemporary Installation Art -A Study of the Works of James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, and Hae gue Yang- This thesis examines the transformation of space in conte mporary installation art from a mere physical background o r neutral...
Spatial Experience in Contemporary Installation Art -A Study of the Works of James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, and Hae gue Yang- This thesis examines the transformation of space in conte mporary installation art from a mere physical background o r neutral site for displaying artworks into an artistic mediu m and active subject in itself. Drawing upon Maurice Merle au-Ponty’s phenomenological theory of perception, this st udy aims to investigate how contemporary installation art o vercomes the contemplative limitations of the modern “whi te cube” exhibition space and redefines space as an artisti c entity through the viewer’s bodily participation. To this end, the study analyzes the works of James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, and Haegue Yang, who each reconstruct space as an artistic medium in distinctive ways, and explores how museum space is transformed into a site of sensory and personal experience for viewers. Within the paradigm of contemporary art, space no longer remains a passive container for fixed objects; rather, it is redefined as a mutable and phenomenological field completed through the viewer’s perception, emotion, and active bodily engagement. First, the study examines how James Turrell constructs immaterial and immersive environments through light and color, leading viewers to confront the act of perception itself. In particular, the loss of visual reference points in the Ganzfeld series redirects the viewer’s attention away from external objects toward the internal process of sensory awareness, thereby transforming space into a phenomenological field in which perceptual reflection occurs. Second, through the case of Yayoi Kusama, the study investigates how repetitive patterns and mirrored reflections expand finite physical space into an infinite psychological environment. In the Infinity Mirror Rooms, the viewer’s body is endlessly replicated and absorbed into the surrounding space, producing an immersive experience in which the boundaries between subject and object are dissolved. Third, Haegue Yang combines everyday objects and immaterial elements—including blinds, lighting, scent, and heaters—to construct multisensory environments. Her spaces are not fixed structures; rather, they are continuously dismantled and reconfigured according to the viewer’s movement and shifting perspective. In conclusion, this study argues that the installation works of James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, and Haegue Yang elevate the viewer from a passive observer to a “spatial subject” who actively completes the experience of the artwork. The significance of this research lies in demonstrating that, within contemporary installation art, space is no longer a neutral background but an active artistic medium and experiential entity that continuously generates new meanings through its interaction with the viewer’s body.