Conjuring the Void: The Art of Black Holes

An evocative and richly illustrated exploration of modern art about black holes.

Inescapable and mysterious, black holes have long captured the imagination of visual artists, even before their existence was first confirmed in 1971. In Conjuring the Void, Lynn Gamwell explores this fascinating intersection of art and science. Starting with a chronological description of key developments in the science of black holes, Gamwell builds a foundation for the reader through visualizations of black holes created by scientists, depicting how a black hole’s extreme gravity affects visible objects in its vicinity. From there, the book explores how artists have addressed the challenge of visualizing black holes by developing new methods of working with diverse materials, including a black paint that absorbs 99.96% of visible light.

Gamwell looks at how certain themes within the science of black holes—nothingness, emptiness, darkness, void, silence—are prominent in traditional Eastern thought traditions as well as in modern abstract art. She also considers the work of contemporary artists such as Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, Takashi Murakami, and Danh Vō, and discusses how they have explored these themes and more in their artworks. The book concludes with a look forward, describing dramatic developments in the imagery of black holes and their changing influence on visual culture.