Noma, for Nowak and Markowicz, Ewa and Jaroslaw by their first names.
Two Polish artists, passionate about design, but also about technology and materials. Artists of the new generation, crossdisciplinary and versatile. A generation where beauty is never meaningless and for whom aesthetics are a political commitment. In the image of Incognito: more than just facial jewelry, a true futuristic ornament, beautiful in itself.
But a taunt to the erosion of our freedoms, that we accept in the name of security.
Brass plates prevent the cameras' facial recognition by deliberately bugging the algorithms of public spaces. And this should not be seen as a serendipity, no, Ewa and Jaroslaw have studied the most appropriate size, location and materials to bypass this new form of surveillance. An experiment first tested successfully on Facebook's DeepFace. The two Polishs put the artist back where he belongs: not behind a glass of champagne in a gallery, but on the aesthetic barricades of the coming revolutions. They echo a discreet cry, but one that grows stronger every day: the need for anonymity.
While celebrity has become a goal in itself, while technology allows everyone to get fame without any particular talent, anonymity represents the last of our freedoms. Certainly the most fundamental one. The greatest artists of this century have understood this and hide themselves behind a mask (Daft Punk) or remain unknown (Banksy). Tomorrow, fame will be the prerogative of vulgarity. And Studio Noma gives us the weapons.