OCULUS-SPEI - Annalaura di Luggo

[...] Annalaura di Luggo’s artistic journey is rooted in two elements: the eye and light. A Neapolitan artist, she has been working across photography, cinema, video art, sculpture, and interactive multimedia installations for years. [...] Annalaura di Luggo’s installation, a conscious heir to the dialogue between eye and light, reinterprets the theme of the Jubilee in a contemporary context. Oculus-Spei transcends a purely religious reading, offering an immersive space where the concept of hope is reimagined within a present-day visual framework. [...] Oculus-Spei serves as a magnifying lens on the essence of Art, understood both as a "critical gaze" that unravels and exposes the contradictions of reality, and as a "renewed gaze" capable of opening our inner vision to new horizons.. [...]Annalaura di Luggo encourages a deeply analytical engagement with the themes she explores, never renouncing the Christian roots of her work, yet acutely aware of Art's potential— within its secular dimension— to transcend the pervasive conformism that constantly shapes our present [...]  The five "doors"—those of St. Peter’s Basilica, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Rebibbia prison—contaminate the space, transforming into enigmatic forms that ignite the viewer’s imagination. Like ancient totems, their activation offers a revelatory epiphany. [...]

Ivan D'Alberto

[...] Oculus-Spei, displayed at the Pantheon, is inspired by the phrase “Spes non confundit” (Hope does not disappoint), as it initiates the 2025 Jubilee. Di Luggo’s installation centers around the idea of hope, represented through the beam of light emanating from the Pantheon’s Oculus, which becomes the key to five symbolic Holy Doors. Visitors, invited to knock on these doors, embark on a spiritual journey guided by people with disabilities. [...] Annalaura di Luggo’s installation, a conscious heir to the intersection of eye and light, engages with the theme of the Jubilee through a contemporary lens. Oculus-Spei transcends religious interpretation; it is conceived as an immersive experience that invites reflection on the theme of hope, reimagined within a current visual context. [...] Oculus-Spei is an intervention that doesn’t compete with the Pantheon but, with discretion and humility, becomes an integral part of the monument. [...] The relationship between context and installation transcends spatial disorientation, guiding the viewer towards a new sense of orientation. In states of disorientation, we become more sensitive to the details that act as points of reference, and it is often in these moments that transformative experiences unfold. With Oculus-Spei, the artist not only opens a path to a journey of hope but also offers guiding markers to reach what lies beyond the visible. [...]

Ivan D'Alberto

[...] The Brunelleschian geometry of the Rotonda finds a perfect parallel with the Pantheon in Rome (the first space to host Oculus-Spei), and in the Florentine site, a similar vision is echoed. This creates a highly coherent operation, both architecturally and historiographically, establishing a dialogue between the unfinished work of the Tuscan architect and the Roman temple, unified by shared design choices, such as the use of the central plan. [...]Further enriching this connection is the relationship between the Rotonda’s history and Oculus-Spei ; as with the Pantheon, Annalaura di Luggo’s installation activates both secular and spiritual connections with its host space. Oculus-Spei offers not only a journey of hope but also an opportunity for encounter, discovery, and understanding: the four figures revealed beyond the doors represent individuals with varying abilities who, through the "light," transcend their physical limitations, guiding visitors along this transformative path. [...] In the late 19th century, the Rotonda served as the studio of sculptor Enrico Pazzi, becoming a space for creative work. Later, after the interventions of architect Rodolfo Sabatini, who completed the dome, it became the meeting hall of the National Association of War Mutilated and Invalids. [...] This rich history deepens our understanding of the relationship between the space and Annalaura di Luggo’s intervention: the Rotonda, once home to an association supporting those with physical impairments, now houses the Museo de’ Medici, which preserves the memory of Maddalena de’ Medici, a woman who lived with a disability and became a symbol of sensitivity, inclusivity, and attentiveness—values that resonate deeply with the essence of Oculus-Spei. [...]

Ivan D'Alberto

[...] Annalaura di Luggo’s Oculus-Spei, an immersive multimedia installation first presented at the Pantheon in Rome before being shown at the Museo de’ Medici in Florence and the Chapel of the Shroud in Turin, shares numerous affinities with the aesthetic sensibility of the Baroque. Created with advanced technology that allows the viewer to “enter” the work, the installation invites a journey inward, shaped by personal emotions and guided by symbolic gestures, evocative imagery, and radiant light. The dialogue between Oculus-Spei and the Baroque became even more striking when the installation was placed within one of the most emblematic Baroque spaces: the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, designed by the visionary architect Guarino Guarini. In this sacred site, a powerful and at times unexpected dialogue emerged. The theatrical splendor, the dramatic interplay of light and shadow, and the emotionally and spiritually charged architecture of the chapel resonated profoundly with the Neapolitan artist’s work. [...] Annalaura di Luggo’s work can therefore be read as a contemporary reinterpretation of the Baroque sensibility, expressed through modern languages and current social urgencies. Oculus-Spei is ultimately an installation that unites sensory wonder with ethical introspection—just as Baroque art did at its highest levels. In both cases, art becomes a bridge between the individual and the absolute—be it God, humanity, or hope. [...]

Ivan D'Alberto

[...] Doors. Oculus Spei brings us into contact with doors—places to knock, to open, as if we were pontiffs standing before a threshold that makes the heart beat faster, stirred by the anticipation of the encounter that awaits. The interactive device becomes a sensory fiction, designed to allow a deeper reality to surface: we always live just one step away from the doors of immensity. That is our natural condition—though we often forget or ignore it.. [...] People. Oculus Spei doesn’t lead us through sacred or pilgrimage spaces. It flips the movement: instead of us crossing a threshold, we find people already on the other side—waiting for us. They appear with both their grace and their visible limitations, which are far more honest than the ones most of us pretend not to have, or think we’ve outgrown. These are people with disabilities who have stepped inside the artwork not as subjects of pity, but as bearers of a mission: to open us—even after we thought we’d done the hard work by opening the door. [...]

Don Alessio Geretti