Un vuoto di luce by Aires Mateus in Milan
DATE
10.02.2026
The installation Un vuoto di luce, by Aires Mateus, presented in Milan in 2017, is a clear example of how architecture meets sculpture. Conceived as a spatial reflection in which both disciplines explicitly converge, the work moved away from the logic of a conventional exhibition object. Instead, it proposed a sensory experience based on the perception of volume, light, and matter, inviting visitors to move through and inhabit the space from both a physical and emotional perspective.
In this installation, emptiness took on an absolute protagonism. Aires Mateus shaped the space as an excavated mass, where the architectural gesture is defined not by addition, but by subtraction. The volume is understood as a solid body from which material is removed to generate an interior revealed through light. The void ceased to be an absence and became a constructed element, an intense presence charged with meaning.
Light acted as an essential material of the project. It entered the interior of the volume in a controlled manner, shaping the space, making its boundaries visible, and reinforcing the tension between solid and void. This interplay of light transformed the perception of the space along the path, emphasizing the almost sculptural condition of the installation and strengthening the relationship between architecture, time, and experience.
For this reason, Un vuoto di luce was a piece in which the architect clearly assumed the role of sculptor. The project was conceived through a primary volumetric logic, where form was reduced to its essentials and every gesture responded to a precise intention. There were no superfluous elements or external references; the space explained itself through its geometry, its weight, and its relationship with light, establishing a direct dialogue with the visitor’s body.
This installation synthesized many of the constants present in the work of Aires Mateus: abstraction, formal reduction, and the exploration of space as matter. Through void, light, and volume, Un vuoto di luce proposed a profound reflection on the essence of architecture, understood not as an accumulation of elements, but as the capacity to construct emotion and meaning from the minimal.
MArch Valencia. Arquitectura y Diseño
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