Flavio Favelli and Luca Bertolo on the Tricolor: A Conversation on National Symbols in Art

In a dialogue published on Artribune, artists Flavio Favelli (born 1967, Florence) and Luca Bertolo (born 1968, Milan) discuss their collaborative exhibition centered on the Italian tricolor flag, curated by Antonio Grulli. The show, held at La Colombiera winery near Sarzana, features works that deconstruct and reimagine the national flag using materials such as old Mickey Mouse comic covers, paint-smeared cloth, and cut-up banners. The artists explore the difficulty of handling symbols in art, referencing Jasper Johns' American flags as a precedent. Bertolo recalls his early 1990s job as a guide at the Museo del Risorgimento in Milan, where he encountered a hand-sewn, aged tricolor. Favelli associates the flag with military uniforms and mentions his father, poet Manlio Favelli. The conversation also touches on wine as a national symbol and the poetry of Franco Fortini, who had a house near the exhibition venue. The exhibition aims to provoke discomfort in both patriotic and non-patriotic viewers by presenting flags that are patched, dirty, or stripped of color.