Graphic Design
The Paradox of Freedom.
A lock for which no key exists.
The Paradox of Freedom is a graphic project by Michele Venisti created for a Sanremo Patafisica exhibition. A lock and a key become the starting point for an image that questions the relationship between protection, restriction and freedom.
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The project
A perfect system built on impossibility.
“Freedom is a lock for which no key exists”: this statement guides the project. The lock, an object that protects while also preventing access, bears the word Liberté. The word and the object’s function create a tension that turns a familiar image into a question.
The key suggests the possibility of a solution; the title introduces the paradox. Rather than explaining it completely, the work makes it visible through a few elements, leaving viewers room to interpret it.
The design detail
An image that asks a question.
The lock sits at the centre of the composition. Its radial surface pattern, inscription and key create a readable visual symbol, while the hands establish a direct relationship with the object.
In the second image, the same subject appears on an illustrated page dedicated to Sanremo Patafisica. Moving from the object to the graphic composition retains the core of the project: using a visual contradiction to open up reflection rather than close it with an answer.
Project information
- Design
- Michele Venisti
- Manufacturer / client
- Sanremo Patafisica
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