ETH TE DOMINET MILAN

Hello again,

Here we are with another one of my adventures, this time in the heart of Milan, in the splendid setting of the Palazzo delle Stelline, for the EthMilano event. The location was something insane and indescribable: inside, there were various talks about the blockchain world and Web3, along with numerous booths from the entities involved. I never imagined I'd have the opportunity to perform in such a fascinating place.

The designated spot for the performance was the inner garden of the palace, a beautiful square garden with a huge magnolia tree at its center, where most of the guests were gathered.

I've always been accustomed to performing in front of many people, but this time there were truly too many; nearly eight hundred people attended on that day. Anxiety was creeping in.

Everything had to be ready by seven in the evening: the artwork lit up, the easel positioned, and the equipment set up, ready to perform the magic. As with every performance, I sought a backdrop that aligned with the event. We wanted to choose the most iconic figure to represent the city we were in, and of course, our beloved Madonnina (the golden Madonna statue atop Milan's cathedral) was the perfect choice. But she needed a detail to contextualize her in that environment. That's when the idea came: placing the Ethereum cryptocurrency symbol in the palm of the Madonna.

An hour before the performance, I began my ritual: I needed a few minutes of solitude, in complete intimacy with the artwork, to decide which cut to make. For this reason, I isolated myself in one of the rooms designated for the talk speakers. As always in these moments, I let myself be completely carried away by the emotions and sensations I had felt just a few seconds before. I began to envision the cut, gently sliding my hand on the screen until the artwork itself told me which it preferred. I took a deep breath and picked up my "brushes," while Tommaso and Riccardo took the artwork to place it on the platform prepared for the performance.

I stepped onto the stage, put on the mask, and allowed myself a minute of reflection to recall the idealized cut and connect with the surrounding environment and the screen.

And then I began. Unlike previous times, the pressure was greater; eight hundred pairs of eyes were fixed on me all at once. The fact that you could hear a pin drop was positive; the audience had engaged with the performance, the ideal situation. Because the screen was quite large, it took me a bit longer than anticipated, but the final result struck me particularly. The image of the Madonna remained intact, although slightly tinted in colors at the top of the screen. A roar of eight hundred applauding hands rose behind me, making me jump and almost fall off the platform. My excitement was through the roof, thank you.

Each time feels like entering a totally unfamiliar yet familiar world that I feel I can call home. I'm grateful for the journey I'm on and the support I've received. I wish I could have hugged all of you, one by one, but there will be an opportunity to do so. This is just the beginning of a long and uphill journey, but one that will last a long time.

I'd like to add a heartfelt thank you from me and my entire team to the organizers of ETHMilano, especially to Miriam and Alessandro, for giving me this incredible opportunity. Throughout the event, their dedication, commitment, and organization were palpable, creating an almost unique atmosphere that's rare to find here in Italy.

"I cut, Infinity passes through there, light passes, there's no need to do anything else."