Iris
2021. Archival inkjet prints on plexiglass.

This work is a study by Paolo Cirio to issue an attack on the biometric identification of irises. Iris recognition, which identifies an individual by scanning the iris, is the most accurate technology available in biometrics, even more so than fingerprints and facial recognition. This technology is often utilized by government agencies where the state requires special identification of individuals such as migrants, prisoners, and those in impoverished communities. For instance, in India, over one billion people have already had their iris scanned and documented by the government. With this study, Cirio creates an attack on iris technology by imagining a contact lens that obfuscates one’s iris identification and eventually changes their identity. The installation, featuring a panopticon tower with eight prints of modified irises, induces a state of conscious visibility in which both the act of surveilling and being surveilled are a potential within everyone's reach.

Selected shows and presentations history
Monitoring Control, solo show at Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, 2021, Modena - Italy

Installation of the artwork Iris at Fondazione Modena Arti Visive, 2021, Modena - Italy




Images of the artwork Iris



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