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Christian Caliandro on Time, Avant-Garde, and Cultural Cynicism

opinion-review · 2026-05-05

Christian Caliandro critiques contemporary culture's erasure of time and the replacement of avant-garde spirit with cynicism. He argues that the avant-garde has become waste to be discarded, replaced by a pose of indifference that is neither cool nor contemporary but mortifying. Caliandro describes a system built to consume and distort, favoring some while crushing others, hidden within a pleasing fiction. He references Philip K. Dick's "Ubik" to suggest opposing processes of annihilation and emergence. The article appears in Artribune Magazine #39.

Key facts

  • Christian Caliandro authored the article.
  • The article was published in Artribune Magazine #39.
  • Caliandro critiques the replacement of avant-garde spirit with cynicism.
  • He describes a system that consumes and distorts while protecting others.
  • Philip K. Dick's 'Ubik' (1968) is referenced.
  • The article discusses time, cultural degradation, and nostalgia.
  • Caliandro is a contemporary art historian and professor at Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze.
  • He is a member of the scientific committee of Symbola Foundation.

Entities

Artists

  • Christian Caliandro
  • Philip K. Dick

Institutions

  • Artribune
  • Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
  • Symbola Fondazione per le Qualità italiane
  • Fanucci Editore

Locations

  • Italy

Sources