Virtual monument to missing tourists appears in Florence's Piazza della Signoria

A new digital artwork by Giacomo Costa, titled Monumento al turista scomparso (Monument to the Missing Tourist), has been virtually installed in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, near Michelangelo's David. The piece, created using digital technologies and virtual reality, depicts tourists taking selfies. Costa shared a video of the work on his Facebook profile, leading many to believe it was a real marble sculpture. The artist has a history of creating convincing virtual works; during lockdown, he released a video showing a drone incinerating cars, which also fooled viewers. Costa commented that the public's belief in the work's reality is the most amusing part. The piece responds to debates about contemporary art in historic squares and the absence of tourists in Florence. It pleases both supporters and opponents of such interventions, as it exists only virtually. Costa suggests the city administration might commission a physical version.