The MAAT Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology in Lisbon is hosting a striking new exhibition Welsh artist and sculptor Cerith Wyn Evans, transforming its gallery space into an immersive environment of light, sound and moving image.
Titled Formas no Espaço… através da Luz no Tempo, the exhibition centres on a monumental installation composed of suspended white neon lights arranged in a complex spatial grid. The work fills the gallery with luminous lines that appear to float in mid air, inviting visitors to move through and around the structure while experiencing shifting perspectives.
Cerith Wyn Evans is internationally recognised for his conceptual approach to light and language, often using neon as a sculptural medium to explore communication, perception and time. In Lisbon, his installation combines precise architectural placement with a sense of fluidity, creating an atmosphere that is both minimal and expansive.
The exhibition goes beyond visual impact. Accompanying sound works resonate throughout the space, adding another sensory layer to the experience. Subtle audio elements interact with the geometry of the installation, encouraging viewers to slow down and engage more attentively with their surroundings. Video pieces further extend the narrative, connecting themes of light, temporality and spatial awareness.
MAAT’s contemporary galleries provide a fitting setting for the exhibition. Located on Lisbon’s waterfront, the museum has become a central hub for modern and experimental art since opening. Its open interior layout allows large scale installations to unfold without constraint, making it particularly suited to Wyn Evans’ suspended neon compositions.
Visitors entering the exhibition are immediately drawn into a carefully orchestrated interplay between illumination and shadow. The white neon lines create reflections across the floor and walls, subtly shifting as people move through the space. The result is an environment that feels alive, shaped as much the viewer’s presence as the artist’s design.
Formas no Espaço… através da Luz no Tempo reflects Wyn Evans’ longstanding interest in how light can function both as material and as metaphor. Rather than simply lighting a room, the neon structures define space itself, turning light into architecture. The installation also raises questions about duration and memory, as the viewer’s perception changes moment moment.
The exhibition adds to Lisbon’s growing reputation as a destination for contemporary art, attracting both local audiences and international visitors. hosting large scale works from globally acclaimed artists, MAAT continues to position itself at the forefront of artistic experimentation in Portugal.
