Study for Gates No. 4
- Artist: Chryssa
- Date: 1967
- Medium: Perspex, 8 neon lights and timer
- Dimensions: object: 1092 x 883 x 702 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Study for Gates No. 4” by Chryssa. In 1967 Chryssa, one of the first artists to turn neon from an advertising tool into art, built a box of grey Plexiglass that looks like a clear night sky. Inside, sixteen bright blue neon fragments—pieces of the letter “S”—are arranged in four sections. A small timer controls the light cycle: the first section glows for six seconds, then the second lights while the first stays on, and so on until all four are lit. The whole piece stays on for another six seconds before the lights all shut off, then the rhythm repeats. The work reflects Chryssa’s fascination with Times Square’s glowing signs and her idea that when letters are broken up they carry more meaning than when they’re complete. Each neon tube is a double unit, giving the sculpture a subtle sense of rhythm and movement that feels almost mechanical, yet it’s very poetic. The simple blue glow against the dark case creates a quiet, almost meditative space that invites you to pause and watch the lights dance.
See it in person
Study for Gates No. 4 is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
