Luci d'artista. CANEMORTO: "The Radiant Van"

On Wednesday, March 11, The Radiant Van, the new Luce d’Artista conceived by the anonymous artist trio CANEMORTO, departed from Turin for a five-day performative journey. The project takes the form of a van transformed into a mobile luminous artwork that, over the coming months, will accompany the artists on their way to Ljubljana.

This marks the beginning of a multi-phase project that includes the production of the artwork, the creation of a short film, an exhibition, events in Venice during the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, participation in a festival in Ljubljana, and finally the return home to Turin, where the work will ultimately find its place in the public space.

The project stems from the curatorial vision of Antonio Grulli, who has been directing Luci d’Artista since its 26th edition, and from his decision to invite CANEMORTO to create a new luminous work.

The project is realized with the support of the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture, within the framework of the Italian Council program (14th edition, 2025), aimed at promoting Italian contemporary art internationally.

The new Luce d’Artista will enter the collection of the City of Turin starting from the 29th edition (2026–2027), becoming part of the city’s public heritage, managed by Fondazione Torino Musei since 2022.

The van is not merely a means of transportation, but a true mobile light installation. On board travel the artworks destined for the exhibition The Painting Race at Match Gallery in Ljubljana, while the journey itself activates a narrative in motion.

Traveling alongside CANEMORTO are the director Marco Proserpio, sound technician Matteo Pansana, and photographer Alessandro Trapezio, producing a series of video and photographic recordings that document a physical and symbolic connection between Turin and Ljubljana. The journey thus becomes an integral part of the artwork and will culminate in an unreleased short film and in the photographic material for the exhibition catalogue.

CANEMORTO. Photo Ivan Cazzola

The project is rooted in two archetypes closely linked to Turin: its automotive industrial vocation and its historical connection tomagic and esotericism. CANEMORTO transforms a classic work van into a “magic lantern in motion”: perforated panels, engravings, and an internal lighting system—also powered by solar energy—project a constellation of apotropaic signs into the surrounding space.

The sides of the vehicle are engraved with 18 universal symbols inspired by the tradition of white magic, reinterpreted through the distinctive visual language of the trio. Light filters through the surfaces, turning the vehicle into a mobile talisman, capable of activating an ever-changing relationship with the places it passes through and temporarily inhabits.