The neon artworks are on display in a vacant storefront on the perimeter of the Beverly Connection. (photo courtesy of LAUNCH LA)

LAUNCH LA presents “La Cienega & West Third,” a neon light exhibition by local artists Donna Gough and David Otis Johnson in a glass-walled vacant retail space on the perimeter of the Beverly Connection shopping center, corner of La Cienega Boulevard and Third Street.

The exhibition will be on view daily from 5-11 p.m. through Jan. 28. “La Cienega & West Third” was made possible through the support of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Beverly Connection.

The artists are illuminating the intersection of commerce and culture with neon art. They use the allure of light coupled with vivid color to move beyond drawing attention and commercialization to provide a commentary on present day life. From abstraction and 3D objects to text, the neon works present a deeper message than branding.

Gough’s latest work, “Thoughts About Time, In Space,” is a 16-piece neon sculpture of bent glass elaborately suspended from the ceiling by an undetectable system of wires and hand crafted connectors.

“I’ve truly loved this sculptural process and it’s always a huge relief to finally see the work inhabit a space as I’d imagined,” Gough said. “Conceptually, the work considers the collective human experience of time – and our way of being suspended in a moment of time as it unfolds in space.”

Gough’s second piece, “Valueless,” utilizes repurposed neon box letter signage to raise awareness and encourage reflection on the current state of consumption and the importance of recycling.

Johnson works with neon light and many other mediums to create installations and sculptures. His most recent series explores the dimensionality of neon and the plane of the powder coated surface, often using an illuminated aperture creating an impression of infinite depth. His work functions as a celebration of the luminous tube.

The best vantage point to view the works is on the northeast corner La Cienega Boulevard and Third Street. For information, visit launchla.org.