ANONYMOUS
2023-ongoing
"Anonymous" is an ongoing project about individual and collective identity in a context where our perception of reality is profoundly influenced by technology, media, and algorithms that determine what is visible and what can be obscured. In this environment, where success and fame seem reserved only for those who best meet market demands and mainstream expectations, I wonder how many personalities remain invisible to the public. I question how many extraordinary talents fall into oblivion without ever crossing the threshold of success and examine the thin line between fame and anonymity. This selection can influence our understanding of the world.
The "Anonymous" project brings to life portraits of faceless people. Fragmented and distorted images are obtained by scanning photographs of famous icons or common faces, folded multiple times until the subjects become unrecognizable. The work presents us with a series of mysterious protagonists with untold stories, and suggests how our interpretation of the world and society might be significantly altered if these voices had not remained unheard.

EXHIBITIONS

Museum Quinta de Santiago
Porto, Portugal
30 May- 31 August 2025
The Irene Vilar Space, at the Quinta de Santiago Museum, host, starting on May 30, two projects by Italian artist Aurora Giampaoli: “Anonymous” and “Family Portrait”.
The exhibition offers a deep reflection on the concepts of identity, memory, and representation, in light of the transformations brought by artificial intelligence and the culture of digital hyperexposure.
Both projects are part of Collettivo Solitario, an artistic experimentation platform founded by Aurora Giampaoli in 2022, where visual, technological, and collaborative practices intersect, with a focus on the intimate and the social.
Workshop – Anonymous
As part of the exhibition Anonymous + Family Portrait, artist Aurora Giampaoli guided participants in a workshop dedicated to the process of shared image-making. The Irene Vilar Space came to life with nearly forty people working alongside the artist. Participants were photographed by the Aurora and then together they reconstructed their portraits. The process flowed between digital and analog phases, with the aim of layering the image until erasing the subject’s recognizability. Each new piece of art was initiated with a photographic portrait, keeping a direct relationship between photographer and subject. The successive transformations gradually dissolved the visual identity, giving way to a new, abstract, and collective form. The final images are now part of the exhibition Anonymous + Family Portrait. By breathing new life into the creative pieces, Aurora has expanded the scope of the exhibition space. The Irene Vilar Space is now open territory where the artwork is shaped through the interplay between authorship and public presence.

Organization: Municipality of Matosinhos
President: Luísa Salgueiro
Councillor for Culture: Fernando Rocha
Project Coordination: Clarisse Castro, Tânia Teixeira, Cláudia Almeida
Exhibition Design: David Marques
Production: David Marques | Devity Studio
Communication: Devity Studio, Municipality of Matosinhos