NEW YORK, NY.- Mary Boone Gallery is showing at its Fifth Avenue location an exhibition of sculptural neon works by Keith Sonnier.

Referencing Sonnier’s investigations at the beginning of his career(the late 1960s) where he employed cloth, neon light, screening, and visible electrical circuitry, the “Oldowan Series” is a group of wall works that combine sexually charged and psychologically loaded fabrics like gauze and satin with steel armatures. Enduring natural materials such as wood and stone play off of the evanescent quality of neon light.

Oldowan is a term applied to the earliest manufactured stone tools in Africa, first used by George Leakey to describe finds at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. The titles of individual works in Sonnier’s series – Omo, Faya, Fora, Tulu – come from the designations of various Paleolithic riverbed sites.

Also on view are works from Sonnier’s “Chandelier Series”. This body of work originated when Sonnier began renovating his Victorian-era house on Long Island, which had no ceiling fixtures. Sonnier designed a series of chandeliers to be used in the home, and later expanded the concept to produce larger works for public spaces.

The exhibition, at 745 Fifth Avenue, is on view through 6 February 2010.