Exploring the “Dystopian visions”: Part One, Meet the artists

We are facing an artistic and technological revolution of which the artists in this collection are direct witnesses. They tell us about the future from utopian and dystopian perspectives, inviting us to immerse ourselves in apocalyptic and unsettling realities of a child’s dream. 

In the “Dystopian visions” collection the viewer is taken to a future where mankind and the machines have found a way of coexisting, disrupting in some cases the ecosystems as we know them. The artworks transmit a sense of connection that accompanies the viewer within unexpected scenarios, creating a dynamic relationship between those who observe them and try to immerse themselves in these new fantastic worlds. 

This editorial focuses on the practice of 6 digital artists from the “Dystopian visions” collection investigating their creative process, media and softwares they work with, motivations and sources of inspiration. 

In Fabio Catapano’s work the memory of a classical civilization that passes through the colored and microscopic codes of pixels, tracing the shapes and nurturing the memory of a distant and ritualistic sculptural classicism with the ultimate precision of a craftsman. 

A golden frame captures the evolution of artistic expression according to the vision of the artist Luca Viola. The work expands, moving towards the viewer. The textures of the canvas come alive, revealing a network of invisible connections between the dynamic and static realms, like an ancient artifact that is tinged with new life.

Mattia Cuttini’s generative abstractionism transports us to an imprecise and dynamic world, a place where GPS sometimes replaces the desire to get lost. The inaccuracy of the forms coexists with the sound recorded by the artist after a storm, revealing vivid and rare colors in his practice. The work represents a compositional synthesis of multiple processes in continuous evolution, a collage reassembled digitally using the artificial intelligence platform Playform.io.

The surface of the digital landscape establishes its own rules in relation to the observer: it hides the equilibrium between the artificial intelligence and those who try to immerse themselves in it. This is the case of Videotapestry, a virtuous tapestry woven into the ether that invites the viewers to reconcile with the vastness that dominates it, inviting them to meditate and connect with the unknown.

The distinctive and sought-after Clods by Fabiano Speziari project the viewer into a disintegrated world that has readapted itself to a spatial, automated and lazy life. A bizarre, autonomous and aseptic apartment building. A way of living in harmony among drones and disrespectful tenants.

Undeadlu’s work depicts a disconcerting similarity between the two female figures inside the laboratory and highlights the imminent possibility of replicating life scientifically. Although the appearance may suggest a comparison between man and machine, Undeadlu envisions a future in which the union between anthropomorphic and artificial identities can merge and coexist.

text by: Serena Tabacchi
editor: Maryna Rybakova
video production: Bruno Pitzalis

About the sale: 
The first-ever curated digital NFT art sale in Italy – ‘Dystopian Visions’ – debuts in Milan June 24 – 25, kicking off an online roll out where new NFT works are dropped twice per day June 25 – July 4 on SuperRare. Dystopian Visions is an online exhibition in the Arium Metaverse, one of the most interactive virtual environments designed for the display of digital art. Dystopian Visions, curated by Tabacchi and coordinated by Bruno Pitzalis (Crypto Art Expert at Cambi) will debut a selection of eighteen new works by emerging and established Italian crypto artists. Inspired by the growing “made in Italy” movement and grappling with themes linked to utopian and dystopian futures, the exhibition aims to reveal a cohesive statement on the present times of social distancing and ethereal communications.