Reflections on Artistic Rigor and Vertical Experience in Contemporary Art Discourse

The author reflects on personal connections between Susan Sontag's writing practices and family habits, particularly list-making as a method of organizing thoughts. This leads to a discussion of artistic rigor, inspired by Andrea Fraser's presentation at NABA's Rome campus on December 17, 2025, where Fraser emphasized the importance of depth over horizontal expansion in artistic production. The author contrasts superficial approaches with meaningful artistic inquiry that generates knowledge through disciplined practice. This theoretical framework is applied to Jermaine Francis's video work 'Post Industrial Dreamscape' (2024), encountered during the joint gallery openings in San Lorenzo in December. The work was featured in the exhibition 'In Plain Sight: Photography, Power and Public Space in Britain' at Matèria gallery. Francis's piece combines archival materials and personal photographs with a soundscape created with Tony Bontana, examining recent UK history through themes including miner strikes, Caribbean migration, rave culture, and urban development. The author describes how the work created an immersive experience that prompted multiple viewings and personal connections to British cultural history, referencing Jeremy Deller's historical work and Paul Gilroy's cultural theories. The essay explores how certain artworks can create profound, vertigo-like experiences through concentrated artistic investigation rather than superficial breadth.