CHEMNITZ.- James Turrell is realizing a new permanent and space-encompassing light installation in Oelsnitz/Erzgebirge, which is accessible to the public from 29 November 2025. As the finale of the art and sculpture trail PURPLE PATH of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, «Beyond Horizons 2025» is being created on the grounds of the former Karl-Liebknecht mining site—a significant new work that continues Turrell’s lifelong exploration of light, space, and perception. It represents the largest permanent «Ganzfeld» to date by the internationally renowned artist.

Chemnitz and the Capital of Culture region present, within the framework of the PURPLE PATH art parcours, a unique exhibition of contemporary art in rural public space, featuring works by important national and international artists. Guided by the narrative «Everything comes from the mountain», the works curated by Alexander Ochs establish diverse connections to the region of Chemnitz and the municipalities of the Erzgebirge, Central Saxony, and the Zwickau area. At the center of the parcours stands James Turrell’s Ganzfeld «Beyond Horizons 2025», which will be inaugurated on 28 November 2025. The term «Ganzfeld» refers to immersive light installations in which homogeneous, colored light and the absence of visual boundaries create a complete dissolution of spatial orientation. Originating in perceptual psychology, the term describes a state in which the eye no longer perceives distinctions or depth cues. Turrell employs this principle to transform vision itself into a sensorial and meditative experience, fundamentally altering the viewer’s perception of light and space.

With «Beyond Horizons 2025», the American artist creates such an impressive light experience within a redesigned three-aisled industrial hall, re-envisioned by the architectural office H2 Architektur by Hendrik Heine. The new work consists of two interconnected spaces of unprecedented scale: the so-called Viewing Space, measuring 16 meters in depth, 7.5 meters in height, and 10 meters in width, and the Sensing Space, measuring 4 meters in depth, 9.5 meters in height, and 11 meters in width. The Viewing Space serves as the initial perceptual environment in which visitors enter and encounter the light field, while the Sensing Space, conceived as a spatially open environment, allows the dissolution of walls, floor, and ceiling, intensifying the Ganzfeld effect. The specially designed light program, structured in twelve sequences, shifts in color and intensity over the course of one hour, enabling visitors to experience a continuous perception of space.

The hall in Oelsnitz has been thoroughly transformed for this artistic experience. The historic steel framework of the former 1,600-square-meter industrial hall was dismantled, restored, and reassembled together with a new corten-steel-clad structure to accommodate the expansive installation. As the finale of the PURPLE PATH art parcours of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025, and in immediate proximity to the KohleWelt Museum, «Beyond Horizons 2025» will enrich the region as a permanent contemporary art installation. The work by James Turrell is unique in Saxony and Germany both due to its scale and its impressive fusion with the newly redesigned industrial hall as its exhibition site.

Visitor numbers are limited to approximately ten people per time slot in order to ensure an intense experience of light and space.