13 Artists and Curators on the Role of Art Criticism Today

Key facts

• 13 artists and curators responded to the question 'What is art criticism and its role today?'
• Contributors include Chenxiao Du, Sara Tacchi, Simone Pellizzari, Nicole Santamaria, Benedetta Cerea, Olmo Marini, Emma Cometto, Oscar Formacio Mendoza, Gao Yuxin, Xinjing Zang, Majorn Schirripa, Yiweng Lu, and Chengrui Peng.
• The article was produced as a classroom exercise by students of the Biennial in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies at NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti di Milano.
• Chenxiao Du describes criticism as orientation and organization, not control.
• Sara Tacchi emphasizes slowing down the gaze and questioning institutional, economic, and cultural dynamics.
• Simone Pellizzari warns against excessive conceptualism and encourages viewers to disagree with curatorial texts.
• Nicole Santamaria criticizes empty criticism and a competition to make works fascinating.
• Benedetta Cerea calls for visceral, discomforting criticism that provokes a reaction.
• Olmo Marini highlights the importance of interpreting one's time to transcend context.
• Emma Cometto advocates for active, incisive criticism that denounces and offers solid viewpoints.
• Oscar Formacio Mendoza wants art freed from industrial economic models and emphasizes imagination.
• Gao Yuxin describes a dynamic balance between critic and artist, like a scale.
• Xinjing Zang sees criticism as a bridge between sensibility and rationality, transforming experience into reflection.
• Majorn Schirripa stresses independence from commercial logic and cross-cultural resonance.
• Yiweng Lu values criticism as accompaniment rather than judgment, respecting freedom and uniqueness.
• Chengrui Peng notes the role of criticism in interpreting complex works and addressing social issues in a digital age.