THE DENIED DEATH
the apparent death.

The project explores the transformation of how death is perceived in contemporary society, shaped by technological progress and the spread of digital media. Once a collective and shared event, death today appears increasingly denied and privatized. On social networks, the deceased continue to exist virtually, creating a condition of “apparent death” in which the boundary between biological and digital life becomes blurred.

The work is divided into two sections: The Apparent Death, featuring AI-generated portraits of non-existent subjects that symbolically represent the virtual survival of the dead, and Death and Time, a series of essential, theatrical photographs reflecting on the relationship between the dying person, their loved ones, and temporality. Set against black backgrounds, the images evoke the passage between life and death, recalling Bergman’s cinematic imagery and Heidegger’s existential philosophy.

By combining the real, the artificial, and the symbolic, the project invites viewers to recognize death as an integral part of existence, reclaiming its spiritual and collective significance.

Vito Sforza