Jim Campbell Takes Over an SF Gallery with Fluttering LEDs

When it was featured above SFMOMA's atrium in 2011 and 2012, Jim Campbell's "Exploded Views" was such a hit that people would crowd onto the facing stairwell and jockey for the best viewing spot. (Yes, elbows would occasionally fly.) Campbell's work used a cascade of light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, to portray the quick, shadowy movement of mostly human forms. Since then, Campbell has cemented his reputation as one of the world's most acclaimed LED artists, exhibiting his art in China, Australia, and England, and completing big commissions from the San Diego International Airport and the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium. Among Campbell's current commissions is one for San Francisco's Central Subway, which will feature Campbell's work in the Union Square/Market Street Station.