Christian Caliandro on Responsibility and Unpredictability in Art

In this opinion piece, Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art must reclaim unpredictability and responsibility, shedding layers of immediate gratification and false security. He posits that the true core of an artwork emerges when stripped of public, exhibition, communication, market, and institutional contexts, revealing a dimension of responsibility—a commitment to internal truth over external image. Caliandro critiques the current cultural climate of control and predictability, which he sees as stifling artistic risk. He draws on quotes from Andrej Tarkovsky ("Spiritual evolution is the purpose of human life; art is a means to help man in this process"), Nicola Lagioia (from "La città dei vivi," Einaudi 2020), and Elena Ferrante (from "La frantumaglia," edizioni e/o 2016) to support his views. The text is part of a series titled "Fase Tre" on Artribune, with previous installments covering topics like reality, otherness, fear, crisis, and memory. Caliandro is an art historian and professor at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze.