French artist Daniel Firman’s sculptural works explore movement and gesture centered around one’s sense of doing and taking action. Firman’s practice often incorporates dance intimated here in his splayed neon arc, Butterfly (2007), that gracefully unfolds against a wall. The work’s title alludes to a majestic butterfly whose biodiversity is under threat due to our planet’s extreme climatic changes. The chromatic variety of the neon lights signifies the diverse beauty of the Lepidoptera species. In literature and art, butterflies are often portrayed as the essence of nature and are associated with freedom, beauty, and peace. Firman’s decision to root the work to the ground rather than in flight further hints at our own loss should man’s insistence on negative technologies push the butterfly into extinction. Similarly, the fact that the artwork is dependent on technology to experience it acknowledges that the butterfly is a vital element within nature’s food chain that must be saved.
Leo Villareal
Leo Villareal (b. 1967) uses LED lights to create complex, rhythmic artworks on scales ranging from stand-alone sculptures to public infrastructure projects. Villareal is known for illuminating entire façades and bridges across the world, subtly reflecting their use, environment, and history through speed, pattern, and color.
SEE ARTISTRafael Lozano-Hemmer
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer (b. 1967) develops participatory installations at the intersection of architecture and performance art with a particular interest in radical empiricism and critical social practice.
SEE ARTISTAhmad Angawi
Ahmad Angawi (b. 1981) is a multidisciplinary creative and educator from Makkah. He is inspired by the rich and diverse culture of Hejaz in the western region of Saudi Arabia, and his work revolves around the human condition while also paying homage to culture, heritage and environment.
SEE ARTISTRiyadh Art’s ten programs and two festivals turn the city into a creative canvas, bringing public art to the spaces where people travel, work and play.
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