August Muth

b. 1955 in Albuquerque, New Mexico

For more than 30 years Muth has been an internationally exhibiting artist and a pioneer in the exploration of light through holography.  His interest in light began at the age of 16 when he began making large water-filled glass prisms, which he used to refract prismatic light upon his family’s garage door.  In 1973 he left Albuquerque to work as a jewelry maker in Aspen, Colorado, where he became captivated by the light of opals and diamonds.  Upon returning to Albuquerque the following year, he began his studies in art and physics at the University of New Mexico, and later continued at the University of Houston, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Muth moved to New York City in 1978 to begin walking the path as an artist.  In 1980 he began his holographic exploration at The Museum Of Holography in Soho under Fred Unterseher.  He relocated to the Telluride, Colorado area in 1985 to build his first holographic studio, and spent the next 7 years honing his skills in the Denisyuk single-beam holography technique.  During this time his interest in the relationship between light, space, and time intensified, requiring a studio expansion.  In 1994 his studio was reimagined and constructed in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  

In Santa Fe the desire to produce larger holograms became a priority, and for the next several years he spent thousands of hours developing techniques in this quest.  Trial and failure became a large part of his practice since large-scale single-beam holograms had never been produced by anyone previously.  After a pivotal insight which resulted in the discarding and total metamorphosis of previously learned processes, he was able to create holograms in a greater scale.  Muth continues to produce works exploring the light-space-time continuum in his Santa fe, New Mexico studio.

Solo Exhibitions

2022 Deepening the Light, Pie Projects Santa Fe, NM

2021 August Muth, Multi-Arts Pavillion Lake Macquarie, AUS
2019     Material Light, Gallery Sonja Roesch Houston, TX

2017    Light Works, Chandra Cerrito Contemporary    Oakland, California
2016    New Works – Hulse Warman Gallery,    Taos, New Mexico
                                   Part of The Paseo: Taos New Media Festival
2016    Photonic Truth – Amy-d Arte Spazio    Milan, Italy   
2015    Borealis – Hulse Warman Gallery    Taos, New Mexico
2015    Light-Mind – Hap Gallery    Portland, Oregon
2015    Hulse Warman Gallery    Taos, NM
2013    Hulse Warman Gallery    Taos, NM
2013    Axel Contemporary    Santa Fe, NM
2012    Hulse Warman Gallery    Taos, NM
2010    Hulse Warman Gallery    Taos, NM
2003    Kittrell Riffkind Gallery    Dallas, TX
2001    Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts Houston, TX  
1999    Philabaum Glass Gallery    Tucson, AZ

Group Exhibitions [selected]

2023 Inaugural Exhibition, Vladem Contemporary Santa Fe, NM

2023 Granada Gallery Tuscon, AZ           2022 Granada Gallery Tuscon, AZ    2019  Iridescence, Hologram Foundation & Holocenter  New York, NY

2018   Infinite Thread, Currents New Media Festival   Santa Fe, NM

Art in Holography / Light Space & Time,

Aveiro City Museum   Aveiro, Portugal 

2017   BAG Bocconi Art Gallery   Milan, Italy

Enigma, OTA Contemporary   Santa Fe, NM

Waterhouse Dodd Gallery, Chicago Expo. Chicago, IL

Ripple Effect, Holocenter                                       New York, NY

Aura Kinetica, Currents New Media Festival            Santa Fe, NM

Immaru Gallery, MIA Photo Fair                               Milan, Italy         

Perception, Cinnabar Gallery                                   San Antonio, TX


2016    Luminescence – Gallery Sonja Roesch    Houston, Texas
2016    Premio Michetti 2016 – Fondazione Michetti    Milan, Italy
2016    Currents International New Media Festival   Santa Fe, NM
2016    Visually speaking:Color and light – Rebecca Fine Art Gallery   Cathedral City, California
2016    Invited Artist – MIA Photo fair    Milan, Italy
2015    International Symposium of Display Holography  Elisseev Palace, St. Petersburg Russia
2015    HAP Gallery     Portland, Oregon
2015    Dallas Art Fair. Nyehaus Gallery.   New York City, NY       Dallas, TX
2015    Peters Projects- Gerald Peters Gallery, Inventory of Light, Santa Fe
2014    Cinnabar    San Antonio, Texas
2014    Hulse Warman Gallery     Taos, NM
2014    Dorfman Projects    New York, NY
2014    Center for contemporary Art    Santa Fe, NM
2013    Midland Center for the Arts    Midland, MI
2013    Cloud 5    Santa Fe, NM
2013    Gallery Sonja Roesch    Houston, TX
2012    MIT Museum    Cambridge, MA
2011    New Mexico Museum of Fine Art    Santa Fe, NM
2011    J. Willott Gallery    Palm Desert, CA
2010    Zane Bennet Fine Art     Santa Fe, NM
2009    Donna Rogers Fine Art    Houston, TX
2009    Art Santa Fe    Santa Fe, NM
2009    Hulse Warman Gallery     Taos, NM
2008    Santa Fe Complex    Santa Fe, NM
2004    Guadalupe Gallery    Santa Fe, NM
2000    Center for contemporary Art    Santa Fe, NM
1999    Mostly Glass Gallery    Englewood,NJ
1999    Del Mano Gallery    Santa Monica, Ca
1999    Alexandre Gallery    Boca Raton, Fl
1996    Eldolon Gallery    Santa Fe, NM
1995    At the speed of Light     Fresno, CA
1994    Museum Fur Holographie    Pulheim, Germany
1984    Kate Clarke Gallery    Louisville, KY
1980    Arron Faber Galler    New York, NY
1979    Xylem Gallery    Houston, TX

Art at Auction

2014    Bonhams - A Contemporary EdgeLondon

Commissions

1994 to present    One of a kind holograms for international artists
 

Art in Public Spaces

2015    Paseo    Taos, NM
2013    FantaSe    Santa Fe, NM
2009    Exterior installation    Paso Robles, CA

Art at Fundraisers

2013    Blue Star Gala    San Antonio, TX

Public Collections

Museum of holography    New York, NY
MITMuseum    Cambridge, MA
Corning Museum of Glass    Corning, NY
Butler Institute of American Art    Youngstown, OH

Lectures and Published papers

2019    

Artist Talk: August Muth, Urban Glass​​​   Brooklyn, NY

2015

What was I Thinking when I thought producing 4 by 5 foot Denisyuk DCG Holograms was a good idea.     

ISDH Conference  ISTO University    St. Petersburg, Russia

2012

Investigating the Spherical Nature of Light through large format DCG emulsions on glass                       

ISDH Conference  MIT Media Lab      Cambridge, Mass.

2011

Holography, Glass, and the exploration of Light – Space

Glass Arts Society Conference                 Seattle, Washington

2004

Large dichromate holograms in heavy glass.          

SPIE Photonics West                                Santa Clara, California

1999

Pulse-originated human figurative transferred into dichromate gelatin reflection holograms               

ISDH Conference                                    Lake Forest, Illonois


Grants
 

2010   Charles Strong Foundation    Taos, NM

1994   Shearwater Foundation    Fort Lauderdale, FL

 

 

Website design by Michael E Crawford
michaelcrawford.is

Artist Statement                     

Light, as we perceive it, gives us only a brief glimpse of the momentary realities in which we exist.

Through my work, I strive to record with precision the perceptible light-space-time phenomena.  As these three elements intertwine, a three-dimensional topography of pure light is formed, revealing a window into the elusive realms of the light-space-time paradox.  Luminous veils of light invite the viewer into a multi-dimensional journey.  The physicality of earthly materials becomes nonessential as one becomes enthralled by the tactile quality of this light.

My intent is to reveal a cognitive holographic dimension within our ordinary experiences of light, and to stimulate a dialogue between the ordinary and the extraordinary planes of understanding.  This in turn may expand our perceptions, increase our acceptance of the unknown, and facilitate the evolution of our culture toward systems that are more holistically integrated. 

Light is the faithful archivist of time.