Luigi Presicce's Hybrid Figures Shine at Contemporary Cluster in Rome

Luigi Presicce (born 1976 in Lecce) presents 'La bigiotteria della Terra' at Contemporary Cluster in Rome, a survey of his last three years of painting. The title was inspired by a homeless person's muttering, referring to artificial trinkets that pretend to be precious. The exhibition explores fragility, artificial illusion, and the vetrinizzazione (display) of the body, themes central to his 2020 series 'Homo Sapiens Sapiens Sapiens', created during a period of uncertainty about humanity's fate. Presicce's hybrid figures, with undefined sexuality, appear in desolate landscapes, recalling saints blinded not by divine light but by smartphone screens. Their exaggeratedly bright rays highlight pink, green, and blue skin tones, while eccentric hairstyles frame angular faces. The subjects share defiant, sly gazes that probe others' judgment. Compared to pre-2020 work, Presicce's aesthetic has evolved into defined pictorial codes: long pointed noses, curved chins, prominent cheekbones, pronounced lips, and impossible hairstyles. These details recur in large and small paintings across both floors of Contemporary Cluster, alongside recent ceramics suspended in mid-air, emphasizing delicacy and fragility. The exhibition also references his performance cycle 'Le Storie della Vera Croce' hosted at Mattatoio di Roma in 2021. A prominent religious component reflects on spirituality in contemporary life.