ON VIEW

From Beginning to End creates a fictional space that resembles a window; however, instead of offering a view to the outside world, one sees the endless and infinite dimension of Navarro’s neon design. When discussing a similar work, Navarro states, “I make spaces in a fictional way to deal with my own psychological anxiety.” 

The artist’s use of light has interesting origins. When giving a lecture at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Navarro mentioned that Pinochet frequently shut off the power in the cities as a way to control the people. As a result, Navarro seems to associate light and electricity (or lack thereof) with power and control. Another facet of From Beginning to End that is significant is the artist’s use of the two-way mirror—both as a symbol and as a material. To achieve the never-ending recession into space trompe l’oeil, Navarro places a standard mirror at the back of the work while the front panel of the piece is a two-way mirror. This way, viewers can look into the piece, and see the infinite reflections occurring back and forth between the two mirrors, creating the illusion that the window goes on forever. Viewers may be most familiar with two-way mirrors through their knowledge of police interrogation rooms, which again have significance when considering the idea of the government and military control that Navarro so frequently examines in his work.