This artwork is composed of a series of nine unauthorized photos of high-ranking U.S. intelligence officials; the photos are rendered with the HD Stencils technique and disseminated onto public walls throughout major global cities. The photos were found via social media and were taken in informal and private contexts: from selfies, to family celebrations, to other intimate situations. The artwork satirizes the era of ubiquitous surveillance and overly-mediated political personas by exposing the main officials accountable for secretive mass surveillance and over-classified programs. New modes of circulation, appropriation, contextualization, and technical reproduction of images are integrated into this artwork.
Paolo Cirio was born in the countryside of Piedmont, Italy in 1979, working as farmer during his childhood. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2005 in Drama, Art and Music Studies at the University of Turin, Italy. He lives in NYC.
Overexposed is on show in gallery NOME, Berlin, from May 22 to July 20, 2015.
