Art Spotlight: James Turrell's Latest Installation

James Turrell is an artist known for his immersive exhibitions on the interaction of light and space, and his latest (and probably greatest) project is taking that notion into an inactive volcano of all places.

The new project is called Roden Crater and is—quite literally—built into a cinder volcanic crater in the Painted Desert region of Northern Arizona. Still under construction and therefore not yet open to the public, Roden Crater is the culmination of Turrell’s life's work, which spans 50 years and countless exhibitions in cultural institutions including LACMA, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, to name only a few .

If you’re familiar with any of his radical museum exhibitions or outdoor installations, Roden Crater is the best of both and on a massive scale. At three miles wide, the crater will include indoor and outdoor works when fully realized. Six of the planned 21 total viewing spaces were recently completed in the first major phase of construction, and Turrell hasn’t yet announced a timeframe for the rest of the project, but with destinations like the Grand Canyon and Amangiri a short road trip away, we’re already making plans.

Check out some of the first official photos of Roden Crater.

Photos by Florian Holzherr for James Turrell.