In a conversation with Zero.Nine Magazine about his latest project, ANTIDOTE, Marco Vernaschi discussed the impact of narcissism on geopolitics, why societies fall for authoritarian leaders, the inherent blindness of ideologies, and the values our societies need to rediscover.

“At a time when authoritarianism no longer arrives with uniforms but with algorithms, charisma, and curated outrage, the question is no longer who holds power—but why we keep giving it away. ANTIDOTE, the latest long-form project by Marco Vernaschi, confronts this shift head-on, examining how contemporary techno-authoritarianism is rooted not only in political systems, but in a deeper psychological collapse of empathy.

Bringing together five photographic series and an academic essay, ANTIDOTE looks beyond Western ideological deadlock and turns instead toward Indigenous worldviews across Latin America—societies structured around reciprocity, balance, and coexistence rather than domination. In doing so, the project proposes a radical counterforce to polarization. Through his work, Vernaschi exposes how ideologies operate as abstractions that demand intellectual submission. Values, by contrast, grow out of lived relationships, inviting discernment rather than allegiance, understanding rather than obedience.

In this conversation with ZERO.NINE, Vernaschi speaks openly about narcissism as a political engine, social media as an accelerant of psychological fracture, and why the ANTIDOTE to our current crisis may exist far from the centres of technological and economic power. What emerges is not a manifesto, but a warning—and a call to reconsider the values shaping the world we’re collectively building.”

The full interview is available on Zero.Nine Magazine