Speranza by Marco Oggian | Blu Art in Rome’s 2nd municipality

Funded by regional funds, the “Blu Art - i colori dell’aria” (Blu Art - the colors of the air) project is one of the measures with which the city administration aims to combat air pollution while enhancing the city’s streets and squares through art, with urban redevelopment projects involving all of the city’s municipalities.

Jungle communications agency selected five artists (Marco Oggian, ScombinAnto, Serena Gianoli, GeometricBang, and Elisabetta Vedovato) to create street art on pavements using water-based paints produced from recycled raw materials. A non-toxic compound applied to the surface helps improve air quality by absorbing pollutants (including fine and ultrafine particulate matter such as PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.5). The color palette used is reminiscent of environmental maps showing air pollution levels.

Inaugurated at the end of October 2025 in Rome’s 2nd municipality (Via Rodolfo Lanciani), “Speranza” (Hope) uses colour to simulate the negative impact that humans have on the environment: an obstacle course of worrying and dramatic colors that ends, however, with a blue island symbolising hope and a desirable reversal of the trend. The objects positioned in mid-air represent human hands, on which everything depends. Due to its proximity to the Fabbrica Artistica school, the hands were designed to be two floor games. The work occupies an area of 45 square meters: a surface area of 100 square meters treated with “smog-eating” paint is capable of absorbing a quantity of CO₂ and polluting particulates equal to that of over 30 mature trees.

Born in Venice in 1990, Marco Oggian is a multidisciplinary artist and designer. He often uses simple shapes and bright colors to highlight critical, controversial and social issues. His works have been published in more than 40 books on design, branding, illustration and typography and some projects are exhibited in galleries in cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Turin, Seoul and Tokyo.