Artist Statement

Intervention, 3D Printed Masks (2014)

URME Surveillance creates photorealistic 3D-printed prosthetics of the artist’s face in order to protect the public from facial recognition software. When worn in public, cameras identify the wearer and their actions as belonging to the artist, so that the artist’s identity becomes kind of defense technology. URME Surveillance challenges the public to consider relationships between identity and technology while disrupting highly networked surveillance systems through disinformation.

• Chicago, USA-based interdisciplinary artist Leonardo Selvaggio examines the intersection of identity and technology. He received a BFA from Rutgers University and an MFA from Columbia College Chicago and is the founder of Fountains Foundation at 916. Selvaggio has shown work in New York, Chicago, New Mexico, Florida, France and recently in Montreal as part of the Art Souterrain 2015 festival. In 2014, Selvaggio received the Albert P Weisman award for URME Surveillance and exhibited in Art2Make, hosted by College Arts Association’s annual conference. Selvaggio’s work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Techcrunch, Washington Post, CNET, Verge, The Creator’s Project and others.

Text with images (PDF)  p.  70-71