Gian Maria Tosatti to present intimate political work for Italy at 59th Venice Biennale

Gian Maria Tosatti will represent Italy at the 59th Venice Biennale with an exhibition in the Giardini pavilion from 23 April to 27 November 2022. His work aims to confront personal and political themes through intimate narratives about family and society. Tosatti views the environment and society as inseparable, arguing that no division exists between natural processes and human experience. He considers the Venice Biennale the world's most significant cultural platform, requiring precise arguments to create impact. National identity in art, for Tosatti, emerges from cultural expressions rather than geography, with universality arising from harmonious combinations of differences. He notes Italy stopped narrating itself after the 1970s Moro crime, calling for an archaeological examination of the last forty years. The artist credits Romeo Castellucci, Claudia Castellucci, and Chiara Guidi of Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio as key influences from his country. Curator Eugenio Viola's decision to feature a single artist with a clear statement represents a paradigm shift for Italy's art scene, restoring centrality to the artist. Tosatti recalls earlier Biennale visits staying in occupied Santa Marta houses and riding vaporettos without tickets as more amusing experiences.