What if we used social media to reinvent solidarity? The OGR YOU cycle of talks continues on Tuesday, April 30, 6.30pm, Duomo, with the conference To .give by the artist Massimo Grimaldi (Taranto, 1974).

The most recent estimates calculate about 880 million active iphones on the planet. Grimaldi (one of the participating artists of "Heart of Darkness", the group show curated by Marcella Beccaria at OGR, open until 19/5) presents his latest project: a platform that aims to tap into the boundless audience of our online interactions, avoiding however their toxic effects (trolling, fake news, hate speech).

This is how he introduces it: "Through my work I have often tried to question myself about the usefulness of art, when it relates to a broad idea of ​​collectivity. In 2016 I started to conceptualize and design the .give app, a social network that starts from the premise that a community, in order to really define itself as such, must necessarily be caring.
.give has therefore the purpose of aggregating, and consequently promoting, acts of altruism that could otherwise go unnoticed. It intends to create the possibility of a virtuous circle that can inspire the generosity of its users. This conference is my first public introduction of the app, thas is currently being developed, and a discussion on the issues it underpins. "

Massimo Grimaldi is an Italian artist who lives and works in Milan. His work explores the nature of what we call ‘art’, the way that it is perceived, judged, and understood. It is an ongoing investigation of the criteria used to produce and circulate images, the power and limitations of aesthetic speculation, the possibility of redefining it in an ethical way. The artist has had solo exhibitions at Museo Villa Croce, Genoa (2012); Castello di Rivoli, Turin (2009); ZERO..., Milan (2006/2008/2013/2019); Team Gallery, New York (2011/2013); and Isabella Bortolozzi Galerie, Berlin (2005). His work has also been shown as part of group exhibitions such as the 16th Quadriennale d’arte, Rome (2016); Ennesima, Triennale, Milan (2015); Italics at Palazzo Grassi, Venice and MCA, Chicago (2008–2009) and the 50th Venice Biennale (2003). In 2009 Grimaldi won the MAXXI 2x100 award, and allocated 92% of the 700,000 euros prize for the construction of the EMERGENCY’s Pediatric Center in Port Sudan.

 

All OGR YOU events, curated by Barbara Casavecchia in collaboration with Sergey Kantsedal, are free and open to the public upon reservation.