a mysterious blue glow peaks from a passage in this sanctuary within a sanctuary

as a young sponge, levi van veluw absorbed the stark visual language that surrounded him in his religious congregation. while the faithful focused on the unseen presences that resided in holy rooms and sacred objects, levi’s fascinations unfolded on the objects and rooms themselves. the immersive installation he’s created here, ‘sanctum,’ is the culmination of his complete devotion to studying the power of imagination and the material forms used to suspend believers in a higher state of worship. 

all images by guido menccari

tall, geometric symbols. long passageways and hidden rooms all make a viewer feel small in ‘sanctum,’ and the division of these spaces gradually guide that viewer toward something more and more holy. from its first entrance into a long dark passageway, the installation is barren of the politics surrounding religion, or the influence of one particular religion at all. its a space without dialogue or spiritual agenda.

there is no mention of what deity, if any, might reside here, but a faint scent or glow composed by the artist intends to lead you deeper nevertheless into his careful song of holy gradations. once the viewer finds themselves lost and alone underground in this high-celinged place, walking along between the tall columns and crunching on the scattered coal beneath and inching toward that blue glow to reach the final sanctuary is the only thing that makes sense. 

sanctum, by levi van veluw, is on display now until september 22, 2019, at dello scompiglio, in lucca, italy. the piece, curated by angel moya garcia, does not aim to answer any questions on spirituality. levi simply squeezed his mind and soul of the many muses he has encountered and arranged them in a familiar, yet unfamiliar story that begins and ends, not inside a chapel, but inside the viewer.