beacon light installation by karolina halatek opens towards the sky in saudi arabia

polish artist karolina halatek connects heaven and earth via ‘beacon’, a large-scale sculptural light installation in riyadh, saudi arabia. located in al haras park in king abdulaziz historical center, the piece preserves a monumental quality yet offers a small, intimate space that viewers can enter, while experiencing the work from the inside, shifting their perception, and being embraced by an unexpected and extraordinary brightness.

all images courtesy of karolina halatek

karolina halatek‘s newest installation takes shape as a beacon that invites viewers to be immersed in a dazzling white light. the construction points towards the sky to evoke the sublime matters between heaven and earth. on the one hand, the light pillar emerges as a sign of guidance and protection, while on the other, its white light includes all colors of the spectrum and refers to the concept of completeness and fullness. the formal simplicity and the purity of its illumination generate a mysterious yet calming effect on those who approach it.

‘beacon’ took form as a part of citywide installations, a public art program at noor riyadh art festival. noor riyadh presents a light art festival combining the highest quality of light artworks from leading international and saudi artists. ‘the light upon light’ exhibition is realized as the largest ever retrospective of light art, including lucio fontana, james turrell, dan flavin, nancy holt, urs fischer, yayoi kusama, ahmed mater. the exhibition is on view until 12.06.2021, virtual tours are available via the noor riyadh website.

project info:

name: beacon

artist: karolina halatek

dimensions: 685 x 600 x 210 cm

production year: 2021

loaction: al haras park, king abdulaziz historical center, riyadh,  saudi arabia

project commissioned by: noor riyadh

curated by: sumantro ghose – artistic director of noor riyadh

co-produced by: omnikon and balich worldwide shows

under artistic consultancy of: lavinia diniz freitas, aperto arts

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina petridou | designboom