Comical and despairing, mesmerizing and grotesque. Italian artist Federico Solmi uses satirical video installations to present a dystopian vision of our present-day society. "The Good Samaritans," Solmi’s exhibition at Rochester Contemporary Art Center, opens Friday, April 6.

“I consider myself a storyteller,” says the 44-year-old self-educated artist, who has had solo museum exhibitions in Venezuela, Israel, Chile and Spain, and has been invited to speak at several international contemporary art exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 2017. “The message I am sending is that the fabrication of fake historical myth and irrelevant idols connects very well with the concept of celebrity in our society, and is celebrated by the masses.