A project by Bernardí Roig for Canterbury Cathedral.

Each year, the Canterbury Festival uses the magnificent Chapter House in Canterbury Cathedral to provide the backdrop for contemporary art projects. This year, the Festival along with the University for the Creative Arts, are delighted to present an installation by the international exhibited artist Bernardí Roig (Palma de Mallorca, 1965). Roig’s previous projects have toured to a number of historic sites including Burgos Cathedral and La Lonja de Palma de Mallorca, making his creations ideal to appear in this emblematic site. The project is curated by Emma Brasó, Cultural Programme Curator at the University for the Creative Arts.

Roig’s work Sleepless light exercises includes a life-size sculpture leaning against a wall emblazoned with 200 fluorescent tubes. The figure, made from polyester resin, represents a man engaged in an ambiguous action that excludes the spectator. The total whiteness of his body and the powerful light coming from the lamps creates a dramatic contrast with the surrounding Gothic space, including the stained glass windows covering the room’s walls. Roig’s work explores themes like human isolation, loneliness, the limits of knowledge or the body’s deterioration. The artist has created a tense relationship between figure and background, between rational comprehension and spiritual understanding, between artificial light and divine clarity.

Organized by University for the Creative Arts for the Canterbury Festival 2016 with the support of Fondo Arte AS and the Bartolomé Campins collection, Vigo, Spain. Sponsored by Thorn and Sylvania.