Salvatore Vitale

SABOTAGE

06.03 – 31.05.2026

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Salvatore Vitale presents an exploration of how the gig economy is reshaping labor and revealing the contradictions of digital capitalism.

Through film, photography and installation, he documents the everyday realities of people whose lives are increasingly governed by algorithmic control and explores a form of resistance.

His work with South African freelancers highlights both the vulnerability and resilience of digital workers, revealing that human labor – even when invisible – remains central to digital economies.

For the first time, SABOTAGE presents the entire Death by GPS project (2022–2026) through an immersive experience.

The exhibition unfolds as a journey, beginning with a corridor that evokes a corporate space, progressing through fragmented workspaces, and culminating in an e-waste scene. This transition mirrors the cycle of digital labor, from promise and productivity to exhaustion and disposal.

Through film, photography, archives, and both textile and graphical works, the exhibition explores the notion of sabotage as a form of resistance.

From tech giants to invisible labor, SABOTAGE exposes the hidden power structures shaping the digital economy.

Salvatore Vitale

Salvatore Vitale (b. 1986) is an Italian artist who has lived and worked in Switzerland for the past two decades. His practice centers on structures of power and surveillance, and on how technology is shaping contemporary society. His project How to Secure a Country (2014–2019), an investigation into Switzerland’s security apparatus, was shown at Fotostiftung Schweiz (Winterthur) in 2019, with an accompanying book later released by Lars Müller Publishers. The work also earned Vitale a PhMuseum Photography Grant in 2017 and a place in the Foam Talent program in 2018.

Vitale, former the co-founder and editor-in-chief of YET magazine, won a Swiss Design Award in the research and design category in 2023. His work has been shown at prominent venues including Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation (Eschborn), CAMERA – Centro Italiano per la Fotografia (Turin), Foam (Amsterdam) and MAST (Bologna), as well as at the Fotofestiwal Łódź. SABOTAGE is his first exhibition in French-speaking Switzerland.

Vitale teaches at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU), where he heads the Transmedia Storytelling program. He also serves as artistic director of the FUTURES European Photography Platform, and was formerly the artistic director of the EXPOSED Torino Foto festival.

Credits

Salvatore Vitale, SABOTAGE is an exhibition produced by Photo Elysée

Curators
Manuel Sigrist, avec la collaboration de Sarah Bourget

Scenography
Andrea Isola
Salvatore Vitale

Graphic design
Unstated International

Studio production manager
Aluwani Ratshiungo

Translations
Sara Cuono
Hubertus von Gemmingen
Gauthier Lesturgie
Christopher Scala

The death by GPS project is supported by :
Ncontemporary Gallery
Pro Helvetia

Prints
Tricolor Bild Produktion

Providers
item Industrietechnik GmbH
Jakob AG
Ted Support Sàrl
Geiserrahmen AG
Colorlito SA

The artist wishes to thank in particular

Salvatore Vitale would like to acknowledge the many collaborators who shaped this project over the years, including Wikus De Wet.

A special thanks to the freelancers who shared their stories and a glimpse into their daily lives:

Alexious Kadzimba, Ben Mutingiya, Bianca Buisman, Charles Chombo, Chrisant Kitaka, Cynthia Anyanwu, Cynthia Anyawu, Denzel Nyathi, Ilze du Plessis, Inge Laubscher, Jimmy Mashiane, Keith Tsigah, Keletso Ntlailane, Lethabo Ramaoka, Margeret Hartzer, Nkosi Mchunu, Pamela Kananu, Pieter Neil, Puseletso Tsotetsi, Silas Motseo, Sivu Dlamini, Susan Gitari, Tatenda Nhesvure, Trailer Young, Trinity Mofomme, Tumelo Nthinya, Tumelo Mathenjwa, Tyler Sanderson, Zama Luthuli, Zico Simtoti

Partners

The exhibition receives the generous support of the Federal Office of Culture, the Loterie Romande and Tricolor