Silvestre Pestana, a Portuguese artist and poet, is presenting a solo exhibition of his LED text-based works at Galeria Quadrado Azul in Porto. The show, titled 'Silvestre Pestana: The Light of Words', features his pioneering 'Poemas Pornográficos' (Pornographic Poems) from the 1980s and newer LED pieces that transform language into pulsating, illuminated objects.
Pestana's work is significant for its early fusion of technology, poetry, and conceptual art, created during Portugal's post-revolutionary period and his own exile. His LED signs, which often carry political or intimate messages, reclaim public advertising language for personal and poetic expression, positioning him as a forerunner in the use of digital and electronic media within the Portuguese art scene.