OVERTON WINDOW
curated by Re:humanism
Presents:
Federica Di Pietrantonio
Solo
30.05.2024
Comunicato stampa | Press release
Matèria is thrilled to unveil OVERTON WINDOW as the latest addition to its street-facing Vitrine program. The curated series of small shows aims to cast a spotlight on digital and on-chain art and is developed in collaboration with Re:humanism; the pioneering platform led by Daniela Cotimbo, dedicated to the exploration of the intricate relationship between humanistic and scientific cultures with a special emphasis on the advancements in artificial intelligence research.
OVERTON WINDOW sets out to explore the possibilities stemming from our rapidly evolving symbiotic relationship with technology. The project seeks to champion artists and concepts that illuminate the intersection of art and technology, with the overarching goal to harness the disruptive potential of AI and blockchain technologies, paving the way for new artistic production models. Additionally, OVERTON WINDOW serves as a catalyst for reimagining cultural production, markets and ownership models by providing artists with a platform and a support structure to experiment with the evolving technological landscape.
Presented in curated installments, OVERTON WINDOW features an open ended dialogue between the public and a selection of local and international artists.
The common thread of the project is embodied by the concept of new digital mythologies, a theme that encloses various manifestations of our relationship with the contemporary. If Chatbots, avatars, and voice assistants become new idols, digital simulacra embodying new forms of animism, renewed forms of digital ritual embrace diverse perspectives and suggest new narratives.
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For its inauguration, OVERTON WINDOW is proud to spotlight one of Rome’s brightest artists, Federica Di Pietrantonio, with a brand new video piece titled Solo.
The project, a machinima piece created by manipulating scenarios from the video game The Sims, starts from observing the mechanisms of self-representation on social platforms like Twitch, and TikTok, and prompts reflection on the transience of contemporary icons.
In Solo, a queer avatar, often used by the artist as a synthetic alter ego, moves within a liquid digital environment. Halfway between a tragic hero, an influencer and a cyborg, the avatar inhabits this vaporous abyss, its movements embodying the aesthetic imaginaries of posers on social platforms. Solitude and introspection dominate the scene, which sometimes drives the protagonist to dissolve, to become one with the environment itself.
Through this project, Di Pietrantonio investigates the epochal changes brought about by digital platforms to our contemporary imagery, inviting us to reflect on the possibilities of rethinking the idea of sculpture in video extension; forsaking the notion of indissoluble memory in favor of its impermanence.