Mariko Makino
Sky Lights

May 20, 2021 – June 06, 2021

Mariko Makino (b. 1987) is a New York based lighting designer and artist working primarily with neon. Makino delicately bends the neon herself with the intention that it can be comfortably lived with in the home environment, divergent from traditional neon signage. The three lights presented in her Sky Lights series are the first examples of this notion. Fabricated by hand in an open edition, Makino’s signature abstract neons produce a soft glow, each light is complimented by a hand cut ash wood base, making them easily transported and installed.

Makino developed the series during New York City’s quarantine while in residency at Entrance, where previously she had her debut show, a series of abstract light sculptures (Rest Area, 2018). Playing off of the ephemeral nature of the world above the city’s skyline, the lights are a love letter to one of the simple pleasures city dwellers had to share during lockdown, sky gazing.

The presentation of Sky Lights marks the reopening of Entrance’s lower level gallery and project space after a year-long hiatus.