Santa Monica

There seems to be something missing in James Lee Byars exhibition and it may be James Lee Byars. He has caused two large galleries to be painted bright velvet-soft scarlet and lit with just a few bare light bulbs. In the middle of one space stand two huge balls of lava rock, touching as if in a cosmic kiss. They are titled “This and This.” In the adjacent space stands a 6-foot ring of white marble called “The Door of Innocence.” It faces an equally tall upright marble slab chiseled with the initials “Q.R.” and titled “The Figure of the Question.”

Byars, although a familiar figure on the international art-circus circuit, is rarely seen on the West Coast. (If memory serves he was last glimpsed here in the early ‘70s in a project at UCLA). He plays the role of a shaman in the fashion of Joseph Beuys but is far less forthcoming in explaining himself.

The present project has an aura of archaic ritual drama that might be a metaphor of elemental creation. It is impressive and as enigmatic as an oracle but, unlike most of Beuys’ free-standing work, Byars’ project is not self-evident. It leaves one with unanswered questions that seem incapable of resolution by simply contemplating the art.

Byars usually appears in person at the unveilings of his projects wearing a gold suit and top-hat and speaking with visitors. It may be that the work is incomplete without him, existing as a provocation to seek out the person of the guru. There is something vaguely annoying about all this. If Byars is an integral part of his own work, he ought to stick around. Without him the installation seems like a stage set without actors. (HoffmanBorman Gallery, 912 Colorado Blvd., to May 14.)