31. Utopia
Alexandre A R Costa (Portugal)

Installation
UTOPIA sits on the rooftop of the derelict former ice rink. Once a pleasure palace, Costa's flickering installation appears to question the original purpose of the building.
The piece is inspired by Thomas More's work of fiction, written in 1516, in which he talks about the idea of the 'island' as both liberating and isolating depending on your viewpoint. UTOPIA creates a similar paradox depending on how you view the work as it rolls through a shifting sequence. With a constantly changing perspective, the word UTOPIA is only ever fully lit when the sequence aligns. Will you catch it?
About the artist
The artist and curator Alexandre A. R. Costa was born in 1973 in
Braga, but lives in Porto, Portugal. He works across a variety of
media from illustrations and photography to video and performance.
He has co-founded a number of artistic spaces in Porto, Portugal
where he has also curated the activity at these spaces. His work is
often concerned with a contemporary sense of disorder and
transformation, disrupting the idea of communication systems,
regularity, and the power of certainty.
To find out more, visit alexandrearcosta.com/.
We love this installation UTOPIA...
Congratulations for your participation in this significant international contemporary art event.
Best wishes for the future Alexandre.
- Maria e Augusto
06 Dec 2011Alexandre Costa is one of the best portuguese artists.
Parabéns pela participação no Lumiere!
Congratulations for the participation on Lumiere!
- M. Carvalho
20 Nov 2011