About
Walk free into fifty years of McCall's light beams at Sean Kelly, from 1973 to a new premiere.
McCall's beams are the rare artwork you enter rather than face, and Line Describing a Cone is one of the genuinely foundational objects of postwar art, still doing its slow trick fifty years on. Seeing it in the same room as a brand-new piece shows how far the idea has travelled without losing its core. It is a commercial gallery, which means walking in costs nothing and nobody hurries you.
What to expect
Darkened rooms with haze in the air so the projected volumes read as solid. The works run in cycles that take many minutes to complete, so give each one a full pass rather than a glance. You are meant to walk into and through the beams. Sound accompanies two of the three pieces. Free entry, no ticket, and it is a short walk from the Hudson Yards end of the High Line.
Good to know
- Commercial galleries are free to walk into, with no ticket or booking
- The gallery is closed on Sundays and Mondays, which rules out half of most weekends
- Each work runs on a cycle lasting many minutes, so allow time to see one resolve
- Rooms are dark and hazed; let your eyes adjust before deciding what you are looking at
- It sits near the northern end of the High Line, easy to pair with a walk
Common questions
How long does the exhibition run?
The exhibition runs from Friday, September 11, through Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Which works are included?
The show brings together Line Describing a Cone from 1973, Skylight from 2020 and the new Swarm from 2026.
How long do the light works take to unfold?
Line Describing a Cone develops over 30 minutes, while Swarm completes its opposing rotations over 15 minutes.
Can visitors enter the projected light?
Yes. Viewers are invited to walk through, around and inside the projected volumes.
Do the installations include sound?
Swarm has an intensifying soundscape, and Skylight uses an original score by David Grubbs; Line Describing a Cone is silent.