Flavio Favelli critiques content-driven validation in contemporary art

In a recent article on Antinomie, artist Flavio Favelli compares his works "Traliccio Tunisi" (2019) and "Ferro di Confine" (2023) with Kiluanji Kia Henda's "A Espiral do Medo" (2022) shown at the Venice Biennale. Favelli argues that today's art system validates works based on extra-artistic content—particularly the artist's identity and personal history—rather than formal qualities. He notes that Kia Henda, as an Angolan artist from a former colony, is deemed more authorized to use ambiguous, conflict-laden materials like domestic iron railings than a white Western artist from a former colonizing country. This perceived authenticity, tied to the artist's biography and trauma, shifts validation from the artwork itself to its narrative, often expressed in wall labels. Christian Caliandro, writing on Artribune, expands on Favelli's critique, observing that many contemporary works have become mere pretexts for their didactic texts, fundamentally altering the role of art. He contrasts this with an alternative, marginal practice of conflict that Favelli hints at: the quiet, invisible struggle embedded in everyday objects like wrought-iron railings, which both beautify and divide. Caliandro concludes that while content-driven art dominates biennials, fairs, and museums, a different kind of art—one that engages with subtle, structural violence—persists on the periphery.