Passages of Light @ MALI

Sadly this exhibition finished in December 2022. If you get a chance to see it elsewhere in the world, it is well worth it!

Passages of light (Paisajes De Luz) is MALI’s latest exhibition featuring the work of french artist Joanie Lemercier, a pioneer in the artistic use of video mapping. We headed to MALI to see what the hype was all about.

Museo De Arte De Lima, known as MALI, is an art gallery located in Palacio De Exposicion (Address: Parque de la Exposición, Av. 9 de Diciembre 125, Lima), It was opened in the early 1960s and features collections of carved wood, ceramics, and antique installations. It also has several rooms for private installations and exhibitions. It’s easy to find with its imposing white walls, colonial style finishes, and large vertical billboards that display the latest exhibitions. It’s a great spot for a group photo.

Once inside, you’re met by several sculptures and a colorful, cylindrical desk. Although entry to MALI is free, you’ll need to get a special sticker to get the guards to leave you alone. There are also some exhibitions that charge a small fee for entry, you can pay for their stickers too. Fortunately for us, Passages of Light is a free installation. We grabbed our sticker and headed inside after a brief play on their spinning top chairs (I fell off and caused a scene).

Located in Salas (Rooms) 1 & 3, Passages of Light promises to immerse the viewer in a journey through different landscapes that transport us from contemplating about refined abstract lines, to being fascinated by magnificent computer generated mountains, climaxing in realization about the disturbing reality of the overexploitation of nature. Sounds like one hell of a journey.

The exhibition, curated by Juliette Bibasse, highlights the importance of nature in LeMercier’s life and artistic practices, and reflects on how our natural environments are represented through the lens of technology.

I originally planned to write this piece with my thoughts and reflections on each of the installations. However, the first installation, titled Edges, had such a powerful impact on me that I am afraid of spoiling it for others. Edges is the result of projection mapping onto 2D surfaces that causes the brain to glitch whilst trying to make sense of what one is seeing. Through the fusion of minimalist geometry and shadows of varying intensities (or lack of intensity??), ones perceptions of space, time, and reality seem to crumble. A security guard will lead you into a pitch black room. At the far end sits Edges. The door will be closed and, as long as people aren’t using their phones too much, the sensory deprivation begins. A small flicker of projected light begins this 7 minute animated marvel. Protip: Stand at 45 degrees to the piece so that you’re looking into the corner and let your eyes lose focus until they are comfortable. Then sit back and enjoy 7 minutes of DMT-Free trippy fun. Be prepared to leave wondering if you’re really in the Matrix.

The second installation really is a testimony to LeMercier’s detailed work. Entitled ‘Mountain, One Hundred and Fourteen Thousand Polygons’, it takes almost as much time to type it as LeMercier did to create it. It is exactly as it says on the tin. It depicts a large valley mountain surrounded by neighboring peaks. It is in fact a large grid mesh distorted by a computer algorithm and plotter machines. Upon close inspection, you can see that it is an optical illusion, but take a step back and you’ll need pills for altitude sickness. To complement the effect, LeMercier added his trademark projection mapping to create shadows, changes in daylight and even a snowstorm. The scale alone is breathtaking.

What follows are several smaller installations, each with their own story. As I said earlier, I really don’t want to spoil the rest of the experience for you. I’d like you to come to your own conclusions as the artist fully intended. Although I implore you to check out the video of horseback police verses the protestors of the Hambach Open Air Mine. The footage is incredible. Also, if you have the time, grab a bean bag and enjoy FUJI, a 14 minute long projection mapping experience that explores man’s relationship with volcanoes. Each piece has its own accompanying text in Spanish and English.