Timidessen Collective Opens Pop-Up Supermarket at The Social Hub Florence

From November 19 to December 2, 2022, the anonymous collective Timidessen, born on Instagram and grown to over 200,000 followers, transformed the exhibition space at The Social Hub Florence (formerly The Student Hotel) into a temporary supermarket of artworks. Organized by Marcella Piccinni, the project offers a 'emotional shopping' experience where visitors create personalized shopping lists and receive original receipts. Products include puns like 'Sant'Ansia' water, 'Svengo' dish soap, 'Finishila' dishwasher product, and 'Phandemhia' spreadable cheese. The collective's logo features an overturned shopping cart resembling a sad emoji, with the slogan 'vieni a trovarti!' ('come find yourself!'), subverting typical supermarket inclusivity. For non-Italian speakers, staff explain the linguistic distortions in English. The project draws on the tradition of artists since the 1960s—from Andy Warhol onward—using mass-consumption products as creative canvases.