Filippo Riniolo on European Identity and the Art System

In a response to Gian Maria Tosatti's debate on collective identity and the art system, artist Filippo Riniolo reflects on European identity, performativity, and the role of art in a fragmented world. He argues that identity is a performative practice, referencing Judith Butler, and that artists feel European identity through a shared history rather than a unified people. Riniolo critiques the persistence of Cold War-era analysis in Italy, noting that American political scientists now discuss apolarity over multipolarity. He observes that in Istanbul, artists and curators look to the United States as a model against libertarian restrictions, contrasting with European perspectives. Riniolo calls for artists to produce identity and context through their work, making history actively. He emphasizes that artworks are self-fulfilling promises that shape the future by changing the present, which is why much contemporary art addresses politics and identity. Born in Milan in 1986, Riniolo lives in Rome and graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti in 2011 with a thesis on financialization's impact on the contemporary art system.