F-Light Festival: Pistoletto, Paladino, Bianchi create artist Christmas trees in Florence

The F-Light Festival returns to Florence from December 8 to January 6, featuring video-mapping, projections, light shows, and artistic installations in public spaces. This year's edition introduces three 'artist trees' by established artists Michelangelo Pistoletto, Mimmo Paladino, and Domenico Bianchi, commissioned by the City of Florence and organized by MUS.E. The trees are site-specific works installed in Piazza della Repubblica, Piazza Santa Maria Novella, and Piazza Santissima Annunziata, respectively. They share a common theme: the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing. Pistoletto's tree, lit on December 8 at 6 PM, is a large backlit tree covered with images of his Third Paradise symbol. Paladino's 'Una tombola per Firenze,' activated on December 14 at 7 PM, features neon numbers referencing alchemy and the family game of tombola. Bianchi's tree, lit on December 14 at 6 PM, incorporates cosmological signs creating spatial and temporal movement. Sergio Risaliti, director of the Museo Novecento and the event, stated that the artists reinterpreted the traditional fir tree form through their individual languages, innovating a universal symbol. The trees are described as unique site-specific works that retain the popular and ritual nature of the Christmas symbol.