Gian Maria Tosatti's Italian Pavilion at Venice Biennale Criticized as Cinematic Set

Christian Caliandro's review on Artribune sharply criticizes Gian Maria Tosatti's Italian Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, titled 'Storia della Notte e Destino delle Comete.' Caliandro argues that the installation, curated by Eugenio Viola and commissioned by Onofrio Cutaia, functions merely as a cinematic set rather than an authentic artistic experience. He points out that the work's nostalgic focus on 1960s-70s Italian industrial decline, using machinery from recently bankrupt factories, feels staged and disconnected from reality. The review highlights contradictions: Tosatti claims the machinery is contemporary, but the interpretive lens remains outdated. Caliandro notes that the piece fails to activate the viewer as intended, instead imposing a predetermined narrative through strict rules (silence, directed paths) and references to Pasolini, Rea, Zanzotto, Ortese, and Saviano that are not evident in the space. The 'epiphany' of the second act—a sea scene with lights—is dismissed as a simulation, not a genuine revelation. Caliandro also questions the sustainability of the oversized, self-supporting shell structure and the massive machinery, which will likely be discarded after the Biennale, contradicting any ecological message. He concludes that the work leaves the viewer passive, echoing Carla Lonzi's critique of art that fails to emancipate its audience.