Olbia. There are works that do not simply occupy a space, but take care of it. This is what happens in Olbia, where a wall until recently marked by time and decay opens up to a new narrative made of delicacy, silent strength and shared humanity. This is where the art of Laura Batzu has found a home, giving back to the city a fragment of beauty capable of speaking to the hearts of those who pass by (read the interview here).
In via D’Annunzio, in front of the solemn presence of the Basilica of San Simplicioa large mural commissioned by the Municipality has taken shape and is part of a broader redevelopment project of the area which in recent months has been affecting the historic center and the spaces surrounding the square. An intervention that goes beyond simple urban decoration and is linked to the desire to restore dignity and meaning to a wall occupied for decades by posters and signs of neglect.
The artist’s unmistakable trait, ethereal symbols and chromatic harmonies, accompany the observer’s gaze into a suspended dimension, where sweetness is not fragility but resilience, and grace becomes a form of resistance to the noise of the world. The painted figure is an angel in jeans, a contemporary celestial messenger with female features, who is caught in a quiet sleep while resting his head on a granite architrave: an explicit reference to the archaeological elements of the nearby Roman temple of Ceres, symbol of a historical stratification that continues to dialogue with the present. An image that evokes protection and listening, where sweetness is not fragility but resilience, sleep is not tiredness but waiting and memory.
The work, created in approximately eighty hours of work, was born from a subject designed specifically for this place and fits respectfully into the urban and spiritual context of Piazza San Simplicio, creating a natural bridge between the sacred and the language of contemporary public art. The mural does not invade the space, but inhabits it with measure, becoming part of a landscape shared on a daily basis.
With this intervention, which we have followed since its genesis alongside the artist, Laura Batzu confirms her ability to transform walls into stories and surfaces into visual caresses. Olbia, through its delicate sign, rediscovers a part of itself: a city that knows how to be strong without giving up sweetness, that recognizes itself in shared beauty and that, thanks to art, learns once again to be kind.
To make the work even more powerful is an essential phrase, almost a breath: “We can all be unaware angels”. Words that invite us to stop, to recognize the value of small gestures, to rediscover kindness as a daily and revolutionary act. In a city in constant movement, Laura Batzu’s intervention right next to one of the most identifying and spiritual places in Olbia creates a natural bridge between history and contemporaneity, between the sacred and the language of urban art. The mural does not invade, but inserts itself with respect, becoming part of an emotional landscape that belongs to everyone. It is no coincidence that the work received great appreciation from the city institutions, which together with mayor Nizzi recognized not only its aesthetic but also symbolic value. An important signal of how public art can be a tool for urban regeneration and, at the same time, for collective education of the gaze and the soul.
Sequence photo of P. Anziani’s works.
Cover photo taken from Facebook.
