Occh-‐IO / Eye-‐I by Annalaura di Luggo The artist Annalaura di Luggo has exhibited around the world Occh-‐ IO/Eye-‐I her performance-‐photography project born in order to capture and amplify a peculiar aspect of identity, belonging to everyone: "the eye". It emphasizes the word “I” to evoke the singularity of each individual. “Occh-‐IO /EYE-‐I” is a special and particular part of Annalaura di Luggo ‘s creative path. It is a journey to discover the sublime, the beauty of human identity, the uniqueness of the self being considered as the basic assumption to explain relationships among individuals. Annalaura di Luggo’s work introduces the new concept of “EYEPORTRAIT”. The exploration of this “EYEPRINT", partially apparent, but indelibly marked in everyone’s eyes, evokes a peculiar trajectory of research, aimed to find a potential answer to the innermost questions of every single person about the knowledge of ourselves and of the world. The artist has in her archives over a thousand shots that concern the wider variety of human types: the famous and celebrities, such as members of the Kennedy family, and those deviant, such as minor prisoners of Nisida jale, Hollywood actors such as Antonio Banderas, Robert Davi and Jeremy Irons and the homeless or individuals with disabilities .... Anyone is welcome, behind her lens. The desire of Annalaura is to meet the human being, stripped of every type of prejudice, with an approach free from preconceived ideas that are automatically structured in relation to social status, age, sex, religion: the eye's artistic representation of Annalaura di Luggo puts the uniqueness of the iris at the center of a black universe, because it is able to "absorb" all colors, freeing subjectivity from any possible discrimination. The artist work is a search for the individual identity, for other’s nature, rummaging almost
intrusively in the depth of a person’s eye, digging among the signs of his/her uniqueness, to find traces of own one. A difficult and harsh trip, which runs on steep and dangerous paths, though being at the same time delicate deep and punctilious. It starts catching the detail of a particular part, as a way to open a comprehension path over a wider scenario made on a field where both the observer and the observed switch roles continuously.The real issue at stake is the highest possible: the comprehension of the self being. "Every human being -‐ Annalaura di Luggo tells -‐ is a unique and wonderful creation of God which embodies a world to explore. For this reason I decided to start my investigation from the eye, which, for the ancients, was the mirror of the soul. I like to define myself a Soul scout” In fact, the artist focuses not only on creating a large iris portrait as this is only the starting point of an investigation into the inner part of her subject. The Performance of Annalaura di Luggo is something more. Her "eye-‐shot" is a preferential channel to get in touch with the soul of the people she photographs through a dialogue that accompanies each photo session capable of grasping the essential personality traits and to bring out emotions sometimes hidden, forgotten, removed PATH The main assumption of this artistic path is the will to go beyond a superficial glance. A face-‐ to-‐face interview with the protagonist, a dialogue about the important things in his/her life and personality, comes before the shooting. The intention is to create an intimate feeling between Annalaura and the person being shot, who, in a certain way, is pushed to express his/her emotions; a profound dialogue brings to light fundamental traits often hidden, forgotten or indeed removed. Then the shooting starts. Capturing in the eye something that goes beyond a superficial observation or that is not "technically" perceived by the simple look is the artist’s desire. The focus is concentrated on the iris; the eye may be marked by stress and time, but the iris remains alive and wonderful, it maintains intact as the expression of the singularity of the individual. Shooting strictly reflects the intuition of the photographer. It is realized in the dark, not allowing the iris to reflect the surrounding environment, minimizing the influence of the external space. Most macro lenses are not sophisticated enough to capture the three-‐dimensional elements, so the artist developed a patented technique to portray the iris with no light reflection and imported instruments from ophthalmology world to reproduce, as closely as possible, the structure of the eye. Far from being a pure exercise in style on iris colors, the focus is on the image of the depth of the organ perceptible only through a three-‐dimensional rendering. The eye is the only protagonist, disclosing all its cracks and roughness, emergencies and depressions, particularities and special colors, both its empty and full parts. Life, after all, is this synthesis, never fully accomplished, between presence and absence, difference and repetition, permanence and lack, balance and unbalance. The work of Annalaura di Luggo wants to be a celebration of life proposed in its essential "complexity." It is a possible way to highlight the value of human being, its identity, its meaning, its rights. "The attention given to the eye -‐ Annalaura di Luggo says -‐ is emblematic of an overall interest in other’s life, in personal sensibility that every individual shows in order to be able to comprehend and welcome him/her. It’s also a way to remember how useful can be to look deeply in people’s eyes, a concept which too many times, many people, tend to escape. In each
there is a wonderful and singular essence to be discovered and everyone is invited by me to reveal his/her uniqueness and to become an artwork ". Annalaura di Luggo says: "Many people ask me how was born the choice to position the eye at the center of my artistic research. My answer is that I'm a lucky woman, because I had the opportunity in life to weave relationships with all classes of people (the most powerful people and the marginalized people) and, above all thanks to the volunteering, I was put in a position to discover pieces of that world of "invisibles", living on the margins of society ... from the world of the sick to those who sleep at night in the street, wrapped in cartons, to those who thank God just for a donated meal. Thanks to these experiences I decided to represent the art of Divine Creation, which manifests itself in every point of creation, but more of all in the aesthetic perfection of the iris, unique and unrepeatable. Through my patent I am able to make enormously visible, something that has always existed, but it is not visible to the naked eye. And so I used the eye as the dominant signifier of my deepest thoughts: We are all wonderfully different , but unique in God's eyes " Show and shooting moments Antonio Banderas Richard Green and Hope Cohen Gary Dourdan Tv shows Monte Carlo Miami Genoa Turin
Over the years, the artist has encountered and had the opportunity to get to know people from many different social, generational, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. She exhibited with solo shows all over the world and she attended the most important art fairs, from Art Basel in Basel, Miami, New York, Sao Paulo, etc. Annalaura di Luggo created permanent installations for the public sector and for private collections, but her artistic predisposition is always aimed at works with a powerful social impact such as: "Never give up" (curated by Guido Cabib), an installation, on permanent display donated by the artist to Juvenile Jail of Nisida, realized in an isolation cell and depicting irises and soul of 10 juvenile detainees with whom the artist spent 2 days inside the prison facility. The detainees' eyes and the phrases written on the walls teach us the true value of freedom. Annalaura di Luggo’s latest project is Blind Vision curated by Raisa Clavijo. “Blind Vision is an important step in my research, because I chose to put myself in the shoes of visually impaired people to try to understand what it means to have the darkness ahead,” she says. “I wanted this project to encourage cultural and social integration of blind and visually impaired people and propose a supportive vision. Not being able to share a gaze, I opted for physical contact, and hand in hand they led me on an exciting journey, allowing me to discover alternative ways of perceiving the world. The artworks I created, as a result of this experience, must be perceived through a sensorial approach, by using touch and hearing. I wanted to reproduce the learning process I experienced along this project.” The experience of Blind Vision developed into a multimedia installation, the exhibition “A Journey of Light” and the sculpture Essence, conceived to be perceived by the visually impaired and the documentary Blind Vision Directed by Nanni Zedda. These interactions have also built a rich archive of life stories, feelings and reflections on how society perceives the visually impaired. They have been gathered together in the multimedia installation Blind Vision, which introduces viewers to the experience of not seeing. One descends down a ramp to a room whose architecture is reminiscent of a dark grotto in which 20 light boxes have been placed. Each of them reproduces the form of the iris of each one of the project’s protagonists and is outfitted with computerized chips for light and sound, which are activated via a timer. Following a script carefully created by the artist each light box lights up for a few moments and narrates in the voice of the given protagonist a fragment of a life story, the experience of confronting a limitation that far from defeating that individual has led to the discovery of a rich potential for strength and hope. The background sound created by Di Maio was based on the ambient sound of the daily operations of the Istituto Colosimo. “I chose to materialize the experience of Blind Vision in 20 light boxes, one for each participant, to flood the spectator in a new light, that same light that I found with great astonishment in the eyes and souls of blind people I met,” Annalaura says. “Light is the ‘common thread’ that has accompanied my creative process. It is this light that I hope will slowly ‘light up’ people’s minds to a new awareness of a world that is no longer dark. Everything starts from the darkness. And in the end, everything becomes clear and crisp.”
“Through Blind Vision, Annalaura di Luggo continues her artistic research into exploring the foundations of human thought and behavior in contemporary society,” curator Raisa Clavijo said. “Blind Vision is a project of live art in which the artworks are not only materialized in videos, sculptures and photographs. The main part is the interaction of the artist with the participants and the traces of life that have remained from those encounters, which will survive into the future. It is an interaction that does not end the moment the performance ends, but instead remains recorded, immortalized to be perceived by untold numbers of viewers. Its effects extend in time and continue not only reproducing themselves, but also changing, mutating and adapting themselves as long as the participants remain alive.” Blind Vision received the support of Regione Campania, Comune di Napoli e Unione Italiana Ciechi onlus (Sezione Napoli) and Matronato della Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee di Napoli. In Particular Blind Vision is the project chosen by United Nations for the CRPD (Conference on Rights of Persons with Disabilities) – New York solo show June 2018 BLIND VISION MULTIMEDIA NSTALLATION
Another installation with a strong social impact is Human Rights Vision (critical text by Francesco Gallo Mazzeo), a work of art auctioned by Fabrizio Moretti at Palazzo Vecchio-‐ Florence, to support the purposes of the Robert Kennedy Human Rights Foundation. Here the eyes furnish an alternative reading of the world: their purpose is " to elevate the world’s gaze and foster a spirit of brotherhood”.
Biography
Annalaura di Luggo (1970) was born in Naples, Italy, where she lives and works. Her artworks are exhibited in Italy and in galleries in Miami, New York, Paris and São Paulo. SOLO SHOWS Naples, Italy: “Blind Vision” presentation curated by InsideArt director, Guido Talarico. IQOS Art Gallery Florence, Italy: Human Right Vision for Kennedy Foundation – auction conducted by Fabrizio Moretti. Palazzo Vecchio, salone dei Cinquecento. Naples, Italy: “Blind Vision,” multimedia project curated by Raisa Clavijo, documentary directed by Nanni Zedda. Istituto Paolo Colosimo per ciechi e ipovedenti di Napoli. Rome, Italy: “Annalaura di Luggo: Recent Works”. Fabrique du Cinema, Ex Dogana. New York, USA: Presentation organized in collaboration with writer Kerry Kennedy, show and shooting. Castellammare di Stabia, Italy: “MOVIsion” Gala Cinema Fiction. Castello Medioevale di Castellammare Genoa, Italy: “Sea Visions, 7 viewpoints”. 56th Genoa International Boat Show. Heidelberg, Germany: “Stimuli to Change” Heidelberg University Museum. Naples, Italy: “Never Give Up, The Donation”, curated by Guido Cabib, permanent exhibition. Nisida Juvenile Detention Center. Monte-‐Carlo, Principality of Monaco: “Occh-‐IO/Eye-‐I”, curated by Guido Cabib. Salle des Etoiles. Miami, USA: “Occh-‐IO/Eye-‐I”, show and shooting. White Dot Gallery, Milan, Italy: “Occh-‐IO/Eye-‐I”, show and shooting. Monte Paschi di Siena, Milan, Italy: “Occh-‐IO/Eye-‐I, Mirror of the Soul, A Journey between Science and Faith,” vernissage and convention. Le Stelline Foundation. Milann, Italy: “Occh-‐IO/Eye-‐I”, curated by Guido Cabib. The Format Gallery. Turin, Italy: “Never Give Up”, Special Project, curated by Guido Cabib. The Others Fair. GROUP SHOWS Basel, Swisse, Scope Art Fair, curated by Mark Hachem Gallery Paris & Saphira and Ventura Gallery New York New York, USA: Scope Art Fair, curated by Naif International Gallery. Miami, USA: Art Basel Week, Scope Art Fair, curated by Naif International Gallery. Boca Raton, Florida, USA: Art Boca Raton, “Journeys”, curated by Raisa Clavijo. Reggio Calabria, Italia: “Questa casa non è un albergo”, curated by Giuseppe Capparelli. Annalaura di Luggo Occh-‐IO / Eye-‐I www.annalauradiluggo.it adiluggoart@gmail.com Instagram: annalauradiluggo_artist -‐ Fb: Annalaura di Luggo Art -‐Twitter:@annadilu