Franco Mattes

Franco Mattes (b. 1974), working with Eva Mattes as 0100101110101101.org, is an Italian net artist and provocateur whose practice occupies the intersection of net art, performance, and institutional critique. Their early works included the acquisition and modification of websites, the spreading of computer viruses, and live performances in online environments including Second Life exploring identity and community in virtual space. Works including No Fun (2010) — in which Franco appeared to hang himself on a live-stream platform, generating genuine emergency responses from viewers who believed it was real — test the boundaries between art, life, and audience complicity online.