Angela Vettese on Art as Antidepressant and Vaccine in Pandemic

In an interview conducted in Milan on February 24, 2020, just before the COVID-19 lockdown, art critic and historian Angela Vettese discusses the vital role of art in times of crisis. She argues that art functions like love—as the most powerful antidepressant and a vaccine against self-inflicted traumas—while also warning us about the future. The conversation, part of the 'L’arte è un delfino' series by Stefania Gaudiosi, explores how art teaches us to read signs of change, to embrace uncertainty, and to reimagine ways of being in the world. Vettese, author of 'L’arte contemporanea. Tra mercati e nuovi linguaggi' (Il Mulino, 2017) and 'Si fa con tutto. Il linguaggio dell’arte contemporanea' (Laterza, 2010), emphasizes that art offers infinite possibilities for existence and prepares us for the extraordinary. The interview reflects on the cognitive trauma of the pandemic and the choice between clinging to a flawed normalcy or transforming everything. Vettese quotes Alighiero Boetti's 'mettere al mondo il mondo' and references Donna Haraway's call to stay with the trouble. The piece also mentions other interviews in the series with figures like Davide Boriani, Giacomo Guidi, Giovanni Anceschi, and Lea Vergine.