Materia Esotica
A work by Patrick Tuttofuoco curated by Luca Molinari for Lualdi
On the occasion of Milan Design Week 2025, the Lualdi showroom transforms into a place of connection and metamorphosis with Materia Esotica, the site-specific installation by Patrick Tuttofuoco, curated by Luca Molinari. The installation redefines the concept of threshold and passageway, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in an experience that blends inside and outside, art and design.
Lualdi’s historic Milanese space becomes a boundary line between the city’s dynamic life and the showroom. The shopfront creates a visual connection between the inside and outside, turning the passageway into a space-time gateway that amplifies the act of seeing and discovery.
Patrick Tuttofuoco’s work explores the relationship between our bodies, gazes and the unpredictability of encounters. In science, “exotic matter” consists of rapidly decaying, fleeting particles that generate a surplus of energy, thus altering and redefining their current state. An idea that captures the uniqueness of human nature and our capacity for self-reinvention through creativity.
“Materia Esotica is an intervention that redefines the perspective of the Lualdi shopfront,” explains Luca Molinari, “because it no longer simply leads inside, it creates a proactive connection between the inside and out. It is a mutual exchange of glances that creates a dialogue. Building relationships is essential, and this installation strengthens them, transforming the showroom into a place of passage, reflection and experience.”
Patrick Tuttofuoco’s installation explores the concept of the threshold as a space of transition and transformation, represented through a human figure in flux. The face, superimposed on multiple levels, gradually becomes a layered image in which each passage is a moment of growth, exchange and the redefinition of space.
“The concept of the threshold is at the heart of everything,” says Patrick Tuttofuoco. “It is a point of passage, of transformation. I wanted to give shape to the threshold through a human figure in the making. It’s not just the portrayal of a face but a changing image. This work speaks to the human capacity for transformation, to dialogue with others as a force that defines and reshapes us.”
With Materia Esotica, the Lualdi showroom becomes more than just an exhibition space – it becomes a place of connection, where visitors are invited to slow down, reflect and take part in an experience where art and design contaminate one another. It is an installation that doesn’t merely invite observation, it returns the gaze, prompting a continuous dialogue with the city and everyone who passes through it.
This initiative perfectly embodies the spirit of Lualdi’s spaces and the company’s commitment to exploring the contaminations between creative disciplines. The showroom becomes a place of connection and experimentation, and the threshold a sensory and symbolic experience.
Lualdi Showroom
Foro Buonaparte 74
Milan
