A scattered array of actors aim to write upon the modern city today, from the initiatives of arts councils and community leaders to the privately funded neighborhood gentrification projects. There are programs funded by brands eager to use public space to sell their products and quasi-public programs that merge the interests of institutions and neighborhoods. There are pop-up events that restore a sense of carnival and wonder, and there are the somewhat feral free-lance street artists and graffiti writers who self-direct their individual installations under cover of night in a surreptitious rush of feet and adrenaline. Perhaps the lines were blurred between them in the past, but today the events and the actors also appear to switch teams more easily, and the tools of production have multiplied.

Against this backdrop, the Festival of Light in Belo Horizonte, Brazil becomes a playground for AKACORLEONE’s visionary creation, “Temple of Light,” which graces the arches of the Santa Tereza Viaduct. Alongside a slate of creators throughout this city section, he challenges himself to use light to create visual sensations inspired by his personal universe, radiating vibrant colors and aiming for transcendence. Here analog mingles with digital techniques, and fantasy intertwines reality. You may think of them as neon colored stained-glass windows, reframing reality and suggesting new relationships with symbols, patterns, and the night sky.

Here we have new images of thousands of people stepping through a captivating world created by  AKACORLEONE, a Portuguese-Swiss visual artist born Pedro Campiche in the 1980s. AKACORLEONE’s artistic journey traces back to his early involvement with graffiti during the early 2000s, a foundation for his subsequent ventures that have included illustration and muralism, painting, installation, and sculpture – in public space and in gallery settings.

Now in its 2nd year here, The Festival of Light presents an array of installations illuminating the hyper center of Belo Horizonte for two days. These immersive pieces blur the boundaries between art, technology, and music, captivating visitors with colorful lights, mesmerizing video mappings, and thought-provoking installations. Alongside AKACORLEONE’s “Temple of Light,” a constellation of artists contributed to the vibrant atmosphere, including Mir Estudio, Márcia Kambeba, Paula Duró, Nívea Sabino, Sandro Miccoli and Flávio Deslandes, and Sébastien Preschoux each engaging with the streets, the architecture, the people of the city in new ways.

Akacorleone (Lisboa, Portugal)
Temple of Light, 2023 for @festadaluz.art 
Light design and project execution: @laserlumens @l3dneon @fala.cenarios
Assembly: @grupopremium
Architecture: @qualreu
Assembly Coordination: @brunapardinif @qualreu
Production Coordination: @dalibastosCultural affairs: @underdogs_gallery
Direction and Curatorship: @casinha.ac @hibrido.cc @publica.art

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