In 1969, when Laddie John Dill started working in SoCal, he dug holes in the ground and stuck neon tubes into them to make pods of light. Soon after, he filled his studio with mountains of sand and crisscrossed sticks of neon on top of them. When New York dealers stopped in to visit, he was wracked with anxiety. “This is going to be embarrassing,” he thought. “It's just all this sand and all this light.” It wasn't embarrassing. His audience was thrilled to see the stoic, sandy traces of desert landscapes colliding with the flashy newness of neon light. At Nye+Brown gallery, Dill has again crisscrossed neon over mountains of earth, and you'll likely leave with sand in your shoes. 2685 S. La Cienega Blvd.; through June 9. (310) 559-5215, nyeplusbrown.com.

Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: April 21. Continues through June 9, 2012

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