Salvatore Aiello - Voyeurisme National

"National Voyeurism" stages, through a sophisticated optical and conceptual game, the ancient rivalry and interdependence between Italy and France. Moving around, the spectator activates a silent dialogue between two transformed icons: a Mona Lisa in a glamour key, wrapped in high-fashion patterns, and a Napoleon wearing an ambiguous and seductive mask. The changes to their costumes are not mere ornaments, but fuse aesthetic appeal with strategic deceit, merging historical past with the today’s dynamics of the global market. The work denounces the plundering of Italian industrial heritage, in particular the takeover of the historic fashion houses of the national industry by multinational companies from across the Alps. The core of the critique lies in the title: the frontal view erases the characters, forcing the viewer into the same position as the Italian political system, a passive “voyeur” who simply stands by and watches the erosion of their economic and cultural identity."