Giulio Alvigini Reveals as Creator of Make Italian Art Great Again Meme Page

Giulio Alvigini, born in Tortona in 1995, has come forward as the anonymous creator of the Instagram and Facebook page 'Make Italian Art Great Again' (MIAGA), which has been posting satirical memes about the Italian contemporary art system since March 1, 2018. In an interview with Artribune, Alvigini explains that the project emerged from his engagement with debates on Italian identity in art, particularly on Artribune's pages. He describes himself as a 'giovane artista italiano semplice' (simple young Italian artist) and states that his aim was to address the condition of young Italian artists, systemic dynamics, and the risk of epigonism with superficiality, post-ironic cynicism, and a memetic attitude, avoiding gratuitous criticism. Alvigini, who lives and works in Turin, notes that he studied meme structures extensively and focuses on a niche of international art system dynamics, targeting an audience already familiar with the Italian art scene. He denies engaging in institutional critique, citing past actions like turning the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce in Genoa into a bookable hotel in May 2017 and attempting to profess platonic love to the director of Artissima. Alvigini announces an indefinite hiatus from the project, possibly temporary or permanent, citing exhaustion from meme creation.