CONTROLUCE by Oliviero Fiorenzi remains in Japan

In June of last year, CONTROLUCE, the site-specific installation by Oliviero Fiorenzi, created with the scientific contribution of the Fondazione Fedrigoni Fabriano, entered the Italian Pavilion at Expo Osaka 2025. Today, it remains in Japan and becomes part of the permanent collection of Ritsumeikan University. The official donation ceremony is scheduled for today, June 25, 2026, at the University, in the presence of institutional, academic, and cultural representatives.

CONTROLUCE originates from a reflection on paper as a living, stratified material. Fabriano watermark paper, with its marks visible only when backlit, lies at the heart of a work that weaves together historical memory, artisanal technique, and contemporary vision.
The study of materials preserved at the Fondazione Fedrigoni Fabriano—scientific partner of the project—enabled the artist to build a new symbolic vocabulary, reinterpreting ancient motifs through a contemporary lens. The watermarks created by master papermakers of the 13th century, collected by Augusto Zonghi, along with the dual-effect banknote watermarks produced by the historic Cartiere Miliani Fabriano in the mid-20th century, served as key sources of inspiration.

A backlit wall made of watermark paper, crafted by Fabriano artisans and developed through the study of historical papers preserved at the Fondazione Fedrigoni Fabriano, restores paper to its original role as a cultural and symbolic medium: the bow and arrow (1380) express balance and discipline—the bow also evokes Japanese kyūdō, the art of archery, in which gesture becomes meditation and the arrow follows the breath of the soul; the scissors (1333), tools of precision and creativity, recall the sartorial and manufacturing tradition of the Marche region; the key (1450), a symbol of access and understanding, opens doors to new cultures and languages, encouraging dialogue and encounters between different worlds; the clasped hands (1461), an icon of alliance and trust, seal a pact, unite opposites, and celebrate the meeting of minds and intentions.

As light passes through the paper, it activates symbols and signs (watermarks) that tell the story of the identity of the Marche region, generating a dialogue between past and present.

The project draws inspiration from the aesthetics of Japanese shōji, exploring the relationship between light, material, and emptiness. Fabriano’s watermark tradition meets the dual-effect technique, giving rise to a dynamic surface that constantly transforms with the light.

CONTROLUCE traces a continuous line between East and West: from the birth of paper in Asia to its transformation in Fabriano through watermarking, restoring its original value as a vehicle of culture.

Photos by Ph Matteo Natalucci / Ph Glauco Canalis. Courtesy of the artist.