Critique of Politicized Art: Hypocrisy in Migration-Themed Works

Roberto Ago's critical essay examines five migration-themed artworks, arguing they fail both politically and aesthetically due to hypocritical unilateral adherence to hospitality. The works critiqued include Marina Abramović's 2018 Barcolana manifesto, Ai Weiwei's 2016 'Reframe' installation at Palazzo Strozzi, Banu Cennetoğlu's 'The List' (2007-2018), 'Morse Action' by Maria Domenica Rapicavoli, Luca Preti, and Katiuscia Pompili (2018), and a 2018 Charlie Hebdo cartoon on the Genoa bridge disaster. Ago proposes corrected versions for each, emphasizing sincerity and truth-telling as prerequisites for valid politicized art. He argues that the art system's instrumental use of global tragedies results in mediocre, hypocritical works, which he terms 'neocolonialism of others' misfortunes.' The essay is part of a series on art criticism published on Artribune.