Within the EXPRESSIONS exhibition program that characterizes the activities of the Castello di Rivoli in the years 2021-2022, the Castello di Rivoli presents as an international museum preview HUMAN ONE, 2021, by Beeple ( Michael Winkelmann , n. 1981). A kinetic video sculpture existing in both the physical and digital realms with perpetual dynamic animation of a person resembling an astronaut traversing an ever-changing landscape. Beeple created the artwork in association with new blockchain technologies known as “smart contracts.”

In this case, the artist can modify the work remotely over time. Therefore, the viewer will have a unique experience of HUMAN ONE every time they return to view the artwork. The person walking in an ever-changing landscape represents the first human in the Metaverse. HUMAN ONE will be presented in visual dialogue with one of Francis Bacon 's (1909–1992) most important paintings, Study for Portrait IX, 1956-1957, from the Cerruti Collection at Castello di Rivoli. In the unique setting of the Manica Lunga of the Castello di Rivoli, 147 meters long and six meters wide, the dynamism of the character walking in HUMAN ONE contrasts with the staticity of the man portrayed in Bacon's painting, which reflects the existentialist anxieties of the modern era of after the Second World War, when it was created. Bacon's Study for Portrait IX portrays his subject with no hands and no agency, seated in a chair against an emerald green background within a white linear geometric structure that Bacon often used to frame his figures.

In contrast, Beeple's “astronaut” depicted in the artist's evolving landscape is constantly moving, while the audience stands still. HUMAN ONE represents a new era of digital art. The journey of the “astronaut” invites the viewer to consider the relationship between their digital identity and their physical identity. Beeple captured the attention of the international art world and global crypto community following Christie's auction of the artwork EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS, 2021, as an NFT a year ago, serving as a catalyst for both the digital art both for the uniqueness that each NFT (non-fungible token) represents through the new blockchain technology of smart contracts. Beeple later created HUMAN ONE in 2021, sold at Christie's evening auction to Ryan Zurrer, a Swiss-based businessman and digital art collector.