AMPLEXUS
on November 3rd
Cultural Palace Diplomatic Quarter
7320 Amr Aldamri St, Al Safarat, Riyadh 12512
AMPLEXUS – light sculpture at The Cultural Palace Diplomatic Quarter
ARTIST STATEMENT
AMPLEXUS (Latin for embrace) is an immersive light sculpture installation that embodies global identity.
The piece communicates directly with Riyadh’s contemporary and historical architecture, viewers, and the surrounding environment by connecting the city’s past and its ever-evolving tomorrow, nature, and the digital world. The work looks toward Riyadh’s global future while celebrating the city’s cultural heritage and community.
AMPLEXUS takes inspiration from traditional Islamic architecture, reinterpreting it within a digital age. At the same time, it engages with the modern shape of the installation site, Riyadh’s Cultural Palace, the heart of the city’s global relations. A light sculpture will be installed into the distinctive circular overhang of the building. The lighting sequence reconnects the city with the surrounding desert by recalling sunrises and sunsets on dunes. Tubing structures formed with the columns of the building and reflective material installed on the floor below will envelop viewers within their cultural heritage, community, and environment.
Thousands of souls dreaming and working together created the city of Riyadh. The breathtaking ferocity of the surrounding desert is a testament to human innovation. AMPLEXUS embraces this collective community consciousness, the city’s architecture, and the untamed magic of the desert itself.
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Noor Riyadh
Noor Riyadh is an annual citywide festival of light and art that nurtures creativity, promotes talent, and delivers awe-inspiring experiences.
Noor Riyadh, the groundbreaking annual citywide festival of light and art, will launch on November 3, 2022 (until November 19, 2022), accompanied by a 3-month art exhibition (November 3, 2022 – February 4, 2023) and a dynamic public program. Following the success of the festival’s inaugural edition in 2021, this edition will see the festival triple in size, with activations in 40 locations across the city of Riyadh.
Noor Riyadh’s 2022 theme is ‘We Dream of New Horizons,’ responding to a motif that is both literal and metaphorical in meaning. It alludes to the distant glow of sunrise or sunset and the shining light of our dreams, with a sense of hopefulness for the future inherent in the phrase. Its connotations are positive, optimistic, and reflective of confidence in renewal and transformation. Through a sense of wonder, the artists will explore the use of illumination, luminosity, and their encounters with materials as staging relations to otherness and hope in the form of light.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
Grimanesa Amorós is a Peruvian-born American artist whose work explores community connection within the intersection of history, technology, and architecture. Her monumental lighting sculptures incorporate video, lighting, and electronic elements to create immersive environments. Technology compliments the concepts of her work without defining them. She draws upon important cultural legacies for inspiration. Still, she does noes not hold a nostalgic view of her subjects. In the art of Grimanesa Amorós, the past is meeting the future.
Grimanesa Amorós is a Peruvian-born American artist whose work explores community connection within the intersection of history, technology, and architecture. Her monumental lighting sculptures incorporate video, lighting, and electronic elements to create immersive environments. Technology compliments the concepts of her work without defining them. She draws upon important cultural legacies for inspiration. Still, she does noes not hold a nostalgic view of her subjects. In the art of Grimanesa Amorós, the past is meeting the future.
Amorós has exhibited in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. She was a guest speaker at TEDGlobal, a recipient of the ‘NEA Visual Arts Grants Fellowships, and has the distinction of being part of the ‘Art In Embassies Program of the U.S. and the Civita Institute NE Chapter Fellowship Grant. Her work has been exhibited in numerous museums, including the Ludwig Museum, CAFA Museum, Katonah Museum, and Seoul National University Museum of Art.
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Instagram: @grimanesaamoros @noorriyadhfestival @riyadhartoffical
LinkedIn: @grimanesaamoros
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© 2023 Grimanesa Amorós
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