CLAUDIO AGOSTI_FABIO GNASSI_THE BUNKER MAGAZINE_03

Algorithmic Opacity and Transparency: it is possible or desirable to shed light on Black Boxes?

Unlike the great inventions of the past, which were tangible and visible, algorithms operate opaquely, hidden behind complex mathematical language. In a historical moment where these digital entities not only observe but influence our daily lives, the need to shed light on these mechanisms has become essential. Claudio Agosti (vecna) is a self-taught hacker from the past century, fascinated by the challenge of how humanity can use the internet as a tool for liberation and disintermediation. For him, cryptography, peer-to-peer networks, bypassing censorship, and critiquing digital power are daily bread. He is a member of Hermes – Hacking for Human Rights.

ALESSANDRO MANCINI_BENASSI_

The cyberpunk and existentialist art of Riccardo Benassi lands at MAXXI

A robot dog performs a dance routine while a laser projects apparently incomprehensible phrases in English and Italian on a steel wall.
We are not watching a science fiction movie- we are at the MAXXI museum, and more precisely on the first floor in the Gian Ferrari room, inside a freight elevator. In reality, the performance we are watching is part of the work, ASSENZAHAH ESSENZAHAH (2024), created by Riccardo Benassi for the MAXXI BVLGARI PRIZE, the prestigious international award sponsored by the renowned Roman jewellery brand.