An exhibition highlights the late Austrian neon artist’s lifelong relationship with light as both a medium and a metaphor

Walking up to the Curuna Ardez building under the deep, star-studded night sky feels like stumbling upon a secret rave tucked away in a dream. From a distance, the structure seems alive, every window glowing with a different hue of the rainbow, spilling kaleidoscopic light onto the narrow streets of the historic Swiss village of Ardez, Engadin. A single street lantern, with its soft warm glow, mimics the night’s celestial body, making the vivid, luminous spectacle even more otherworldly. It’s as if the building is a portal to another dimension—a fitting introduction to Lightness, an exhibition honoring the late Brigitte Kowanz, Austria’s selected artist for the 2017 Venice Biennale. 

Curated by Romeo Bucher in collaboration with the late artist’s son and director of her estate, Adrian Kowanz, the exhibition transforms the former 19th-century guesthouse into an immersive exploration of light, space and language. The launch on 21 December 2024—perfectly timed to the winter solstice—underscores Kowanz’s lifelong relationship with light as both a medium and a metaphor. Here, Kowanz’s works radiate in all their complexity, inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay of art, technology and perception.

Upon stepping inside, you’re enveloped by Kowanz’s mesmerizing neon creations. These are works that don’t just flicker or glow—they pulse with intention, their structures blending elegance and intellectual depth. Each piece seems to hum with its own energy, offering both clarity and questions. From the minimalist majesty of fyi (2020)—a striking composition of neon, aluminum and lacquer that distills human communication into its purest visual form—to the poetic simplicity of Lightness (2017), the pieces on display capture Kowanz’s unparalleled ability to transform light into a powerful narrative tool.

Central to the experience are works that recontextualize their surroundings, like idc (2020). Presented alongside a historical black-and-white photograph of the curator’s ancestor, this piece bridges the past and the now, demonstrating how light can tether us to both collective memory and the immediacy of the present. Similarly, A Sight to Behold (2017) creates a meditative environment where viewers see their own reflections intertwined with beams of light—a simple but profound inquiry into identity and perspective.

The thematic arc of connection is particularly vivid in Connectivity (2018), a work that mirrors today’s hyperlinked societies. Through intricate neon compositions, it draws out the invisible ties between digital and physical realms, laying bare the expanding networks that define modern existence. Other notable pieces, like Youtube 14.02.2005 (2020), go a step further, using Morse code and light to explore humanity’s evolving modes of communication in the digital age.

Experiencing Lightness is an act of discovery, an unfolding narrative about the many facets of light—its weightlessness, its rhythm, its role as a conduit for meaning. Kowanz’s oeuvre reminds us of light’s ability to create depth where there is none and to connect where there has been division. A song lyric from Leonard Cohen’s Anthem comes to mind, “There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”

Lightness runs until 28 February 2025, at Curuna Ardez—offering a space for reflection on light’s infinite potential as an artistic and human element. The glowing gallery, set against the tranquil beauty of the Engadin village, stands as an embodiment of Brigitte Kowanz’s brilliance, inviting all who visit to step into a world where light and life become one.