L'arte rotta: Christian Caliandro on the struggle for change in Italian art

Christian Caliandro, writing for Artribune, argues that the art world's outrage over Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's remark on May 13, 2020, during the Decreto Rilancio presentation—that artists 'make us have fun and get passionate'—was misplaced. Caliandro contends that Conte was not referring to visual artists but to entertainers, comedians, and singers, revealing a deeper issue: the near-total absence of contemporary art from the conceptual horizon of institutions and the public. He suggests that the reaction should have been gratitude for exposing the government's view of art as reassuring escapism rather than critical disturbance. Caliandro frames this as part of a broader 'broken art' (arte rotta) series, highlighting the disconnect between art and community, art and people. He criticizes the art world's reliance on weak authority and confusion with true authoritativeness. Looking ahead, he sees two paths: a forced restoration of pre-pandemic acceleration and event frenzy, or a difficult change based on opposite criteria. He quotes musician Ezio Bosso, who in his last interview with Artribune stressed that art and music are necessities, not superfluous, and warned against losing ethos—the environment conducive to life. Caliandro calls for abandoning consolatory fictions and addressing the real issues of paternalism, classism, and elitism that have alienated art from existential reality.