Matteo Montorfano on Being a Young Artist in Milan Today

In an interview with Artribune, photographer Matteo Montorfano (born 1999, Monza) discusses the challenges and opportunities for young artists in Milan. He studied at ISIA in Urbino to gain distance from Milan, then returned. Montorfano values independent, self-organized spaces over institutional circuits. He mentions places like Potlatch, Sprint, The Art Chapter, ONOFF, and Spazio Mina. In 2024 at Potlatch, he launched the fanzine "Baby Go" as part of the "And Other Chapters" series with the Cesura collective. In 2025, he participated in "Futuri Prossimi" by Jest Fotografia, mentored by Francesca Cirilli, Tommaso Parrillo, and Tommaso Clavarino, presenting his ongoing project "So Real" (2023–), which documents inclusive clubbing nights organized by Unisono for people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities. He is also working on a diaristic project tentatively titled "Deliri/Impulsi" or "Ciondolare continuo" (2025–), combining snapshots, sketchbook pages, and text. Montorfano reflects on the institutional fascination with underground aesthetics, citing Nan Goldin at Pirelli HangarBicocca, Dash Snow at Massimo De Carlo, and Ryan McGinley and Wolfgang Tillmans at Fondazione Prada, but questions whether this represents genuine support for emerging artists. He emphasizes the importance of collective networks and peer support in response to an individualistic art system. A memorable encounter was meeting photographer Alec Soth at MiCamera in 2024.