Marfa Static — Freestanding Neon Sculpture, Private Collector

A freestanding abstract sculpture for a private collector — bare neon red and bare argon blue in a deliberately raw, uncoated pairing, 40 feet of tube with no phosphor color anywhere in the piece.

A single freestanding white neon sculptural symbol glowing against a black background

The project

The collector specifically wanted the two most fundamental neon colors — the bare gas glow of neon and of argon/mercury, with no phosphor coating or colored glass involved anywhere — treated as the entire material palette of the piece, which meant the whole design had to be resolved in just those two hues rather than reaching for a phosphor color to round out the composition.

Mounted on a freestanding steel armature with all transformers and wiring concealed inside the base rather than visible behind the glass.