Lore Bert – Towards the Light
Comunicato stampa
On the occasion of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, Lore Bert (b. 1936) presents Towards the Light, a large-scale paper and neon installation at the Church of San Fantin, Venice – located directly across from the Teatro La Fenice. Sponsored by the van der Koelen Foundation for Art and Science and realised in collaboration with the Diocese of the Patriarchate of Venice, the project marks Bert's third presentation in Venice following her official participation at the 2013 Biennale at the Correr Museum and her 2019 installation at San Samuele.
The overall project highlights an important aspect of Lore Bert’s work: light installations using neon tubes, which she has been developing since the 1990s.
In the nave, two large paper circles made of folded sheets anchor the space: the first features red neon elements in the shape of quatrefoils, the characteristic Gothic motif found throughout Venetian architecture and a symbol of the four cardinal virtues – prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. The second is composed of alternating turquoise and white neon spheres arranged in the form of a spiral, evoking both concentration and infinity, stillness and movement. In the choir, a sculptural light installation displays Oriental numerals — figures that originate in India, introduced the concept of zero, and underpin the languages of science, humanities, and commerce alike. Four large-format pictorial objects in the flanking side aisles complete the installation, corresponding thematically and chromatically to the works in the nave.
Light, the governing principle of the work, carries a meaning at once architectural, philosophical, and deeply human – it shines in the darkness, and in doing so, symbolises hope and confidence. Towards the Light is characteristic of Bert's broader artistic universe, which unfolds in the spirit of Kant's Transcendental Aesthetics, where sensory perception plays a fundamental role in the experience of beauty.
Lore Bert lives and works in Mainz and Venice. Celebrating her 90th birthday this year, she occupies a unique position in the international art scene. In the exhibitions she presents across the globe, she displays works that engage in a multifaceted dialogue with the material of paper. Over 350 exhibitions in 30 countries and 60 monographs document her work. Lore Bert’s works are held in numerous public and private collections worldwide.
