Italian Art's Temporal Suspension: The Hamster Wheel of Contemporary Practice
In a 2002 piece for artpress, critic Gianfranco Maraniello reflects on a cohort of Italian artists emerging after the 1990s, such as Vanessa Beecroft and Maurizio Cattelan, who cultivate a more introspective and less confrontational art environment. He observes a feeling of suspended time, with artists engaging in repetitive actions that critique notions of productivity. In Milan, Patrick Tuttofuoco runs on a massive hamster wheel, while Elisabetta Benassi orchestrates meetings with masked individuals on treadmills. Roberto Cuoghi transforms himself to resemble his father, and Margherita Manzelli is bound to her artworks. Francesco Vezzoli crafts embroidered images of aging celebrities, and Maggie Cardelus reimagines family photographs as sculptures. Additional artists in this exploration of lost time include Gianni Caravaggio, Cristiano Pintaldi, Carlo Benvenuto, Loris Cecchini, Perino & Vele, Davide Minuti, and Marco De Luca.
Key facts
- Essay by Gianfranco Maraniello published in artpress in May 2002.
- Focuses on Italian artists born after the 1990s generation of Beecroft and Cattelan.
- Patrick Tuttofuoco performed in a giant hamster wheel on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Milan.
- Elisabetta Benassi used masked figures on treadmills and a Pasolini lookalike.
- Roberto Cuoghi spent four years physically transforming into his father.
- Margherita Manzelli attached her paintings to her mouth via dental braces during exhibitions.
- Francesco Vezzoli embroidered portraits of Maria Callas and Jean Cocteau, and collaborated with Helmut Berger and Bianca Jagger.
- Cristiano Pintaldi paints using only red, green, and blue with masking tape, each work painted three times.
- Loris Cecchini creates limp gray sculptures from casts of real objects.
- Marco De Luca designs office furniture that includes hidden coffee stations and a swing.
- Translated by Anne Gugliemetti.
- Gianfranco Maraniello is an art critic and curator.
Entities
Artists
- Vanessa Beecroft
- Maurizio Cattelan
- Patrick Tuttofuoco
- Elisabetta Benassi
- Roberto Cuoghi
- Margherita Manzelli
- Francesco Vezzoli
- Maggie Cardelus
- Gianni Caravaggio
- Cristiano Pintaldi
- Carlo Benvenuto
- Loris Cecchini
- Perino & Vele
- Davide Minuti
- Marco De Luca
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Maria Callas
- Jean Cocteau
- Helmut Berger
- Bianca Jagger
- Marina Berenson
- Gianfranco Maraniello
- Anne Gugliemetti
Institutions
- artpress
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Corso Vittorio Emanuele
- Gand
Sources
- artpress —