Geometry of Light: 'Lighting Xi'an' illuminates the ancient city

On Dec 9, the first Lighting Xi'an Festival, named Geometry of Light was launched at Xi'an MIXC, a high-end shopping mall situated in the heart of Xi'an's southern axis. This event combines traditional culture with modern design as a collaborative effort between Xi'an MIXC and the innovative art platform WAVELENGTH.

Under the theme "Geometry of Light", the exhibition showcases the works of renowned international contemporary light artists and collectives. Participants include surrealist public art icon SpY, the global light art collective Luzinterruptus, acclaimed French visual artist Olivier Ratsi, emerging Chinese new media artist XXXL, and the leading VFX and design studio Territory Studio. These artists' signature works, which have previously been featured at prestigious global light events such as France's Lyon Festival of Lights, the Madrid Light Festival, and Riyadh's Noor Riyadh, are making their Chinese debut with site-specific creations tailored to Xi'an's rich cultural context.

Rui Jie, general manager of Xi'an MIXC, Xue He, vice president of OUTPUT, and Cui Wei, art business director of WAVELENGTH and curator of the festival, engaged in in-depth discussions on two core topics: "the symbiotic prosperity of commerce and cities" and "the integrated innovation of art and business".

Cui elaborated on the curatorial philosophy and traced the evolution of public perceptions toward art exhibition spaces and public artworks. Xue used the centerpiece installation "Tree of Life" as a case study to illustrate how customized digital art can be deeply rooted in Xi'an's local culture, exploring the synergy between technology and art in enhancing urban cultural narratives.

In her closing remarks, Rui emphasized that the festival is not an endpoint but a starting point for sustained development. She said that Xi'an MIXC aims to continue building and strengthening the festival as an art and cultural brand, further integrating artistic aesthetics with public spaces to boost urban cultural vitality, enhance commercial experiences, and foster the mutual growth of culture and commerce.

Rooted in the philosophy that "all life and inspiration originate from light", the exhibition explores light's ethereal nature—formless yet visible when interacting with matter, intangible yet shaped by space. The "shape of light" is thus not a physical boundary but a trajectory of life, a reflection of emotions and thoughts over time.

Through installations that play with scaffolding divisions, flowing projections, page flips, frame filters, and symbolic "blossoms of life", artists reveal light's true form: a spiritual geometry born from the fusion of human consciousness and reality, and ripples from the encounter between finite life and infinite energy.

The festival will run through Feb 1, 2026.