Christian Caliandro: When the Caption Becomes More Important Than the Artwork

In a critical essay on Artribune, Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art, especially at the 2026 Venice Biennale, has become dominated by 'contentism'—a trend where the artwork functions merely as a vehicle for a statement, and the caption (including the artist's biography) becomes the true work. He contends that this phenomenon reflects a broader crisis in the art system, which continues as if nothing is happening despite structural economic and market issues. Caliandro references a recent article by Carlo Falciani and Laura Lombardi on Antinomie about the Biennale's central exhibition 'In Minor Keys' curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, which critiques how decolonial themes have become mainstream. He highlights a disconnect between progressive curatorial intentions and the conservative, market-driven exhibition circuit. Caliandro also draws on Gramsci's 'Prison Notebooks' to argue that the art world's reorganization does not involve a new class seizing power. He notes a dissociation between art and real social and geopolitical realities, as well as between progressive content and conservative language, as previously discussed by Stefano Chiodi. Caliandro concludes that the stylistic references in contemporary art, often borrowed from art history, are detached from their original meanings and ultimately serve as niches for market exploitation.