Ezio D'Agostino, Sun Dog, 2026

ITER — an acronym for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, and also a Latin word meaning ‘path’ or ‘journey’ — explores humanity’s most ambitious attempt to replicate the Sun’s fusion processes on Earth. Rooted in an anthropological truth, our fundamental concepts of time, life, death and myth are inextricably linked to the daily presence of our central star.

By approaching this monumental and far-reaching scientific endeavour as both myth and subject matter, the work pushes photosensitive media to their technical limits. Through pseudo-scientific experiments based on astrophysical research, the artist recreates solar visual phenomena to capture an image of what would otherwise be impossible to observe. The resulting work transcends mere photographic documentation, presenting a visual essay on the limits of vision itself. Here, photography ceases to be a mere document; it becomes a harbinger through which we can reassess the economic, anthropological and social changes that define our collective future.