H.A.R.I. (2023) is a site-specific performance conceived by Oliviero Fiorenzi and Fabrizio Vatieri, featuring performer Francesca Flora. The work draws inspiration from the character Hari in Stanisław Lem’s novel Solaris, an entity representing a distortion of reality—an illusion offering the possibility of life but ultimately depriving the protagonist of the will to continue resisting. In this exhibition, Hari becomes an ambiguous corporate acronym, “H.A.R.I.,” symbolizing greenwashing—the false environmentalism of multinational corporations that distort reality to deceive consumers.

The performance unfolds in an enclosed garden, where Francesca Flora’s voice recites texts alluding to the language used by companies to mislead through greenwashing. Alongside her, seven green and black panels, inspired by environmental certification logos, reveal deceptive marketing techniques such as hiding the truth, using false labels, or emphasizing irrelevant aspects. The work’s ambiguity lies in the awareness that we are all subject to a system that deceives, sometimes unintentionally. As in Lem’s novel, we confront a world that is not as it seems, and the real struggle is the difficulty of resisting these deceptive realities.

The piece also addresses activism, reflecting on how hard it is to effect change in such a deeply rooted and deceitful system. Fiorenzi and Vatieri, while aware of the contradictions within the art system, chose to work enthusiastically in a space lacking a clear identity within the artistic landscape. Their collaboration proved to be an authentic sharing experience, with no individual advantages but a profound value in moments of communion and friendship. The work questions the sincerity of activism, exploring whether it is possible to say something genuine through art, and at what cost, in a world that seems increasingly distorted and misleading.