Art, throughout history, has provided a vehicle for ideas. British artist John Latham (1921 – 2006) applied this to the biggest subjects of all: What is the Universe? What is God? What is knowledge?

Latham aspired that art could form a point of convergence for opposing beliefs within society. Latham’s theories bridged art, science and technology and aimed to present a single, unifying explanation of existence. Based upon the idea of ‘Event Structure’, he proposed that time, expressed as a series of ‘least events’, could describe the structure of the world.

Both acclaimed and vilified in his lifetime, Latham is one of the few genuine radicals of post-war British art. Published to accompany the exhibition John Latham: Time Base and the Universe at John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, and P.S.1 Contemporary Art Centre, New York.

The exhibition was conceived with the artist prior to his death in January 2006, and includes sculptures, book reliefs, installations, film, text works and glass pieces.