Ultraviolet by John Hogan

Captivating glass sculptures that put the invisible in a beautiful light.

John Hogan creates mesmerizing glass objects and sculptures that explore refracted light. The acclaimed, Seattle-based artist uses both traditional and modern techniques to achieve his vision. In the Ultraviolet exhibition at the Future Perfect gallery in San Francisco, he presents some of his latest work. Like the name suggests, the object of the artist’s focus for this series is UV light. More specifically, UV-B light that helps the body produce the essential vitamin D yet can also cause great harm. The striking glass sculptures explore the contextualization of light through the use of black lights and black light displays. And the aim? To make the invisible visible.

The glass objects capture the power of light and reveal an ever-changing beauty that alters in various ways depending on context and lighting conditions. Illuminated either by natural sunlight or black light, the objects come to life in a myriad of colorful lines and twisting shapes. As a result, every sculpture – although static – reveals a perpetual sense of motion, of flowing invisible energy that here becomes brilliantly clear. The exhibition features spherical, rectangular, conical, or organic, irregular shapes that shine in monochrome, dual-tones, or a rainbow of colors. Josh Hogan’s Ultraviolet exhibition is on show through July 2021 at Future Perfect’s San Francisco gallery on 3085 Sacramento Street. The show also includes pieces from the artist’s ongoing Menagerie series. Finally, art lovers who fall in love with one of the pieces can purchase them through the gallery’s site. Photographs© Amanda Ringstad, Daniel Villareal.