A white flag flies on the facade of the MAO, but it is not a sign of surrender or a symbol of resignation, on the contrary. The flag, the work of the artist of Thai origins Rirkrit Tiravanija (Buenos Aires, 1961), is a manifesto, a declaration of intent, and sends a clear and unequivocal message: the phrase Fear eats the soul ), written in large black letters on the immaculate fabric, invites courage, to take a stand, to react in the face of the paralysis caused by the terror that corrodes the soul.

Known for his works that involve the viewer by stimulating reflection on the political, social and economic dynamics of contemporary life and for his artistic practice that places human relationships and cultural exchange at the centre, Tiravanija has made the flag a fetish object, a symbol which has returned very frequently in his research since the 1990s.

Fear Eats the Soul, exhibited at the MAO from 2 May to 1 September, is inspired by Rainer Werner Fassbinder's film Angst essen Seele auf (Fear Eats the Soul, 1973) and, like other works by the artist, draws attention to situations of conflict and war, on episodes of racism and xenophobia, on the lack of acceptance of others and of diversity, which lead to a climate of fear and mutual distrust.

The city center of Turin will also be involved in the artist's project: from 2 to 31 May fourteen banners with as many phrases by Tiravanija will be displayed under the arcades of Via Po, freely accessible to citizens. Freedom cannot be simulated, Less oil more courage , I do not know what are we yelling about, Tomorrow is the question: the banners invite us to ask questions about current issues and problems such as the environmental crisis, the role of work in our society, conflicts between individuals, the violence exercised by the majority strong on the weakest and, in general, on the future that awaits us.

In such a turbulent historical moment, in which conflicts open up fundamental ethical questions, with these installations the MAO chooses to give a signal that goes in the opposite direction to that of the dynamics of dual oppositions to instead encourage dialogue.