The Edition

One year ago on Wall Street, to mark the opening of the Printemps New York flagship, Grimanesa Amorós unveiled PERFECT TIMING—a luminous, large-scale installation across the building’s façade. A meditation on the ever-changing cadence of city life, it was conceived as a dialogue between New York and Paris, drawing from the energy of two capitals where the fashion store exists. Inspired equally by urban movement and the ephemeral qualities of light and time, the piece translates shared rhythms into pulses of light, echoing traffic lights, passing taxis, seasonal glow, and the flow of pedestrians. More so, it channels Amorós’s longstanding fascination with light and time as ephemeral qualities that cannot be kept.

Rooted in her practice of responding to both the built and natural environment, PERFECT TIMING engages its Art Deco surroundings while inviting moments of pause amid the intensity of downtown Manhattan. Its sequences—programmed with a composer’s precision—shift throughout the day, asking viewers to consider their own relationship to time, stillness, and motion. For Amorós, light becomes both language and material, bridging the worlds of art, fashion, and public space in a way that feels at once monumental and intimate.

The project was conceived just steps away, in the artist’s TriBeCa studio, where the initial concepts took shape in an environment immersed in light. It was there that a meeting with Printemps’ CEO, Thierry Prevost, sparked a shared vision grounded in transformation, perception, and the power of fleeting experience.

After talking through the installation at the Printemps location downtown, Whitewall sat down with Amorós to talk about PERFECT TIMING and what she’s working on next.

Creating PERFECT TIMING for Printemps

WHITEWALL: Tell us a bit about how PERFECT TIMING came together, when Thierry visited your studio. How did this spark what we see here now, installation at Printemps? 

GRIMANESA AMORÓS: PERFECT TIMING began in early spring, when Thierry visited my studio, an environment immersed in light. The smaller and medium-scale works I completed over the past few months are in this space, enveloped in light that continues to inspire curiosity and drive my creative process.

My journey with Printemps began with a discussion of light, its ephemerality, and powerful visual impact. I then shared projects, including BREATHLESS MAIDEN LANE, CETHA, and GOLDEN ARRAY, each illustrating light’s transformative effect: one activating the financial district’s streets, another enriching a historic city, and a third animating a monumental structure. The idea of transformation particularly resonated with him.

This shared fascination became a foundation for our partnership. We both believe in creating moments that make people pause. I see this not as a conventional collaboration, but as a dialogue between two unique forms of expression, art and fashion. Each maintains its individuality, yet together they offer a singular experience. This encapsulates the essence of PERFECT TIMING.

“A dialogue between two unique forms of expression, art and fashion.” – Grimanesa Amorós

WW: PERFECT TIMING is connected to New York—inspired by the building’s Art Deco architecture, the pace and rhythm of people in the streets, the colors of the stoplights outside, and more. Can you share a bit more about how the city itself influenced the installation?

GA: The moment I moved to New York City, I knew it would become my base. Throughout my years here, the city’s energy has been in constant flux, which inspired the pace of this sequence. Wall Street has always been stop, go, maybe, I say maybe because I, like most New Yorkers, think yellow is a suggestion. It is a city of forever-moving, fast, slow, and rapid. Traffic lights, cars moving to get somewhere, people crossing in all ways; New York is known for this energy, where there is always something to do. The artwork is at the store entrance, interacting with people every day. The sequence aims to mimic the energy of passersby on their way somewhere.

The Philosophy Behind PERFECT TIMING

WW: The title PERFECT TIMING is more than a name—it’s your philosophy. What does the idea of “perfect timing” mean to you?

GA: For me, PERFECT TIMING is something you cannot control; you cannot own it. Time is just like light, ephemeral. You cannot own it; you can only experience it. In my work, I am always thinking about how light moves through a space and how people move through that light. There is a constant exchange. The moment is never fixed, because light is not still; it is always shifting depending on where you are, the time, and how you connect to the work.

PERFECT TIMING happens in that interaction. It is when everything aligns, even if only for a second. That is my goal as an artist: to capture your attention for a moment, to make you think, inspire you, and challenge your initial reaction.

WW: This installation looks effortless, but it’s complex. What does the creative process actually look like—from your TriBeCa studio to installing it here? 

GA: It all begins with studies: understanding the surroundings, the space, asking, “Why does this piece have to be here?” Then comes the concept, the drawings, the creation, and the installation.

Installations can last 16 hours, sometimes 24. Time remains precious, often underestimated. These installations are more challenging than people realize, and sharing that process offers everyone a sense of being part of something greater, part of the Art. During installation, I always smile when working alongside installers; they help bring these works to life.

My sequences are original, composed, and programmed on-site, second by second, note by note, not remixed. I choose every line color myself, and sometimes the process takes weeks. For me, it’s like mixing paint. Every detail is thoughtfully approached.

PERFECT TIMING, Changing with Light

WW: The colors shift and evolve throughout the day, and the installation at large recently went through a lighting sequence change. Can you talk about how the lighting sequences were developed? 

GA: The sequence was inspired by New York and its seasons, its speed, and its personality: a city with noise, never standing still. The colors, amber, green, red, and white, were focused on the city’s stop lights.

This second sequence was developed to commemorate the shift to spring. Printemps, being French for “spring,” and New Yorkers seeing the sun and some warmth after a while, went hand in hand.

As the seasons progress in New York, the colors become louder; an excitement after the long chill. We associate certain colors with specific shifts, and these greens, pinks, and purples do exactly the same. The sequence evolves throughout the day, reflecting that transition.

“The way light shifts throughout the day, how it reflects, how it transforms a landscape, all these impressions stayed with me.” – Grimanesa Amorós

WW: You grew up in Peru surrounded by extraordinary nature and have mentioned how much its biodiversity has impacted you. How did that environment shaped the way you see the world—and eventually the way you work with light?

GA: Growing up in Peru, I was surrounded by nature’s intensity, which shaped how I see the world. The roughness of the Pacific Ocean, the heat from the desert, and the lush colors of the Amazon were always present around me.

Looking back, I realize it wasn’t something I analyzed at the time, but it created a sensitivity to light, color, and movement. The way light shifts throughout the day, how it reflects, how it transforms a landscape, all these impressions stayed with me.

As a result, when I began working with light, it felt very natural. I wasn’t trying to recreate those environments, but I was carrying that awareness into my work. What I do now is translate those early experiences into something others can feel.

I respect nature immensely; hence, when I saw the northern lights, I decided to use light in my media rather than take any images. At the time, I just indulged in the moment. Respecting its wonder and power so that I can later share it with viewers and encourage them to stop and think is a goal of mine for each artpiece.

A Fascination with Travel, Nature, and Curiosity

WW: You’ve spoken about being fascinated with maps and wanting to travel the world. How did that curiosity shape your artistic path from an early age? How does it still?

GA: Curiosity has always driven me. Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the vastness of the world and our small place within it. That sense of enormity stayed with me and drove my thirst to explore, to understand, to see beyond what was immediately around me.

Curiosity pushed me to travel and experience new places, cultures, and environments. It taught me to observe how space, light, and people interact. That way of seeing remains central to my work. Every project starts with curiosity, understanding a place, its scale, and our relationship to it. I am still learning and traveling.

WW: You’ve shown monumental works all over the world. What are you exploring now? What kinds of places or ideas are calling you next? You mentioned being obsessed with deserts in the past…

GA: I am obsessed with deserts, still am—the sand is so hot, but the moment you dip your feet in, it’s so cold. A visual illusion and juxtaposition to our initial reactions.

Currently, I am being drawn to colder climates, where it all started, and I’ll have to leave it at that.

What’s Next for Grimanesa Amorós

WW: What else are you working on or excited to see in 2026?

GA: I’m currently working on a permanent project with the City of New York, named FLUXUS, which continues my exploration of how light interacts with public space and people. The sneak peek I can offer is that I will continue my exploration with the ephemerality of light.

I have also just created smaller light sculpture works. Transitioning from previous pieces, the series, “CAPPED WAVES,” comes in four colorways. It features more experimental lighting sequences inspired by the foam from crashing Pacific waves. Developing these works took years of research, especially to stabilize technology in a smaller format. They let me push the work in new directions while keeping its ethos and language. I’m also continuing with a series of lectures, which are important to me as a way to share my process and connect with different audiences.

In addition to completed work, several confidential projects are currently underway and cannot be shared yet; more details will be coming soon.