The international festival Lighting Guerrilla is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year under the headline theme of Diversity. The participating artists explore this topic from various angles, creating a unique blend of transitions between different perspectives, experiences and meanings.

This diversity is evident in the use of light as a medium. Artists employ it either as an immaterial formative substance or as a symbolic or political gesture, and it in turn shapes the viewer’s sensory experience and perception of space. The presented works explore both intimate personal narratives and broader concepts such as community, technology, the environment and identity. The headline theme of this year’s festival can be understood as an ethical stance which highlights the acceptance and nurturing of diversity as a fundamental value, fostering dialogue and social inclusion.

The group exhibition at the Match Gallery features works by three artists, alongside an installation created by students of the Secondary School for Design and Photography as part of the Lighting Guerrilla Laboratory. David Nez, a former member of the neo-avant-garde group OHO, presents an ambient installation titled Hypnagogia / Cave of phantoms, comprising a series of images, sounds and kinetic elements. This installation intertwines the rich tradition of esoteric lore with a dystopian vision of the present, characterised by environmental and spiritual crises.

Jurij Hartman, artist of the younger generation, uses his video installation, Because of the internet 1 & 2, to satirically dissect how we perceive the world in a digital environment overwhelmed by excess information of dubious reliability. The visual and auditory textures of his video works mimic the constant, overwhelming stimulation experienced by internet users, contributing to their disoriented sense of being lost within the algorithmic matrix.

In the new phase of his evolving project Capsules, Matej Bizovičar continues to explore the visual character of space and how it is perceived. The design of light objects that question the relationship between space, objects and content is based on dichotomies between the internal and external, and the visible and invisible... Most importantly, the objects enable viewers to engage in unique introspection, and visuality becomes an autonomous vehicle for symbolic narrative.

Together with Damijan Kracina, Bizovičar also serves as a mentor for the final project presented in the gallery and created by students of the Secondary School for Design and Photography. The project titled Capsules – Suitcases presents a series of spatially defined formations and diverse assemblages, which reveal the intricate currents of creativity in the design of micro-spaces through the use of lighting effects, various textures and materials.

(Text by Matjaž Brulc)