Through an installation of cinematography lighting gels across the Whitney Museum’s stairwell windows, Margaret Honda transforms changing daylight, weather, and architecture into an evolving experience of color and perception.
At the Whitney Biennial 2026, Margaret Honda’s Film, Whitney Museum of American Art transforms a functional element of filmmaking into an architectural installation shaped by natural light.
Honda installed preset selections of 16 color-balancing and six neutral-density cinematography lighting gels across the museum’s west-facing stairwell windows.
Normally used on film sets to control lighting conditions, the gels take on an entirely different function inside the Whitney.
From Film Set to Museum
Lighting gels are practical tools within filmmaking.
Cinematographers use them to manipulate light, adjust color, and control exposure while constructing the visual atmosphere of a scene.
Honda removes these materials from the film set and places them directly within the architecture of the museum.
Rather than using the gels to create an image for a camera, she allows visitors to experience their effects directly.
The material that would normally operate behind the production of an image becomes the artwork itself.
A System of Color
Honda arranges the gels according to the manufacturer’s numerical order, creating a sequence that moves from top to bottom through the Whitney’s stairwell.
This systematic organization connects the installation to the practical origins of the materials.
The colors are not simply arranged as a decorative composition. Their order comes from an existing system developed for cinematographic use.
Yet once installed across the windows, that technical sequence becomes a visual experience.
Color spreads through the architecture, altering the appearance of the stairwell and changing how visitors encounter the space.
An Artwork That Changes Throughout the Day
Natural light becomes an essential component of Film, Whitney Museum of American Art.
Because the installation occupies west-facing windows, its appearance changes continuously.
Sunlight, clouds, weather conditions, and the time of day all influence how the gels appear and how their colors affect the surrounding architecture.
The artwork therefore never looks exactly the same.
A visitor encountering it at one moment may experience a different intensity, atmosphere, and relationship between colors than someone passing through the stairwell several hours later.
From Inside to Outside
After sunset, another transformation occurs.
Viewed from inside the stairwell, the colors begin to dim as natural light disappears.
At the same time, the installation becomes visible from outside the Whitney Museum.
This shift changes the relationship between artwork, museum, and city.
During the day, visitors inside the building experience the gels through incoming daylight. At night, people outside can encounter the colored windows as part of the museum’s exterior presence.
The installation therefore moves perceptually between interior and exterior without physically changing location.
Film Without a Conventional Screen
Honda’s installation expands the idea of what a work connected to film can be.
There is no conventional movie screen required for the experience.
Instead, there is light, duration, color, architecture, and the changing conditions of the environment.
The Whitney itself effectively becomes part of the work.
Within the Whitney Biennial 2026, Margaret Honda’s Film, Whitney Museum of American Art transforms the tools used to control cinematic light into an artwork governed by light itself—changing throughout the day and shifting between the interior of the museum and the city outside.
Explore the Complete Tarik Talk Whitney Biennial 2026 Series
Tarik Talk created dedicated coverage of every artist featured in the Whitney Biennial 2026, with individual episodes exploring the artists, artworks, histories, and ideas shaping this edition of the Biennial.
The complete series—including videos and podcast episodes—is available across Tarik Talk’s podcast streaming platforms and social media platforms, offering a closer look at every artist featured in the Whitney Biennial 2026.
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