“Many viewers - not to mention critics, curators, and artists - are confused by David Ireland’s work. As an artist, he does so many things that he is difficult to pin down. Shall we call him an architect? A sculptor? A performance artist? A furniture designer? Or what he calls himself - a post discipline artist? ‘Post-discipline’ is an educator’s term that suggests getting beyond the established curricula and it does fit, although Ireland may be the only artist of this persuasion working today… . For all its variety, his art tends to be the product of twin concerns: The sculptural manipulation of natural light and the creation of personalized architecture and artifacts. To make matters more complex, these concerns are often married in a single work or ensemble of works.”  

-Robert Atkins, exhibition brochure.

“The New Museum continued its Currents series, which examines the work of artists in mid-career, with an exhibition of the work of California artist David Ireland. Ireland, who has been gaining national prominence in both art and architecture circles, developed as site-specific environmental installation in the Museum’s main gallery.”

-New Museum Annual Report, 1981-1984