Jacques Toussaint's Neon Installations Illuminate Bologna for Arte Fiera 2017

French artist Jacques Toussaint's site-specific neon installations, originally presented in Como under the title 'L'esprit des Lieux', have been relocated to three venues in the Bologna metropolitan area for Arte Fiera 2017. The works, rendered in his signature electric blue, serve as allegories of the four elements—Fire, Earth, Air, and Water—from Saint Francis of Assisi's 'Canticle of the Creatures', retracing the saint's simple life. The installations are displayed at the Torri dell'Acqua in Budrio, a former public aqueduct turned contemporary art center; the Romanesque chapel of Santi Vitale e Agricola within Bologna's monumental complex of the Sette Chiese; and the small church of San Francesco in Crespellano, where Saint Francis is said to have prayed. The project blends contemplation with contemporary media, offering a journey through sacred and secular spaces.