Marco Scotini on AFAM Reform and NABA's Evolution

In an interview with Artribune, Marco Scotini, who serves as the curator and head of the Visual Arts Department at NABA in Milan, critiques Italy's AFAM system. He considers it insufficient, despite its alignment with the Bologna Process, attributing this to Italy's outdated institutional culture. Scotini cautions that the shift towards management in contemporary art jeopardizes innovative practices and stresses the importance of robust education. Since 2003/2004, he has transformed NABA by introducing a School of Visual Arts and later, in 2006/2007, a two-year program in visual arts and curatorial studies. NABA now boasts an intercultural faculty and focuses on themes like archives, gender, and ecology. However, a significant drawback remains: the lack of a PhD program. He challenges the perception of UK/US educational superiority and calls for a connection between education and the art sector, cautioning against the allure of immediacy in digital tools and likening remote learning to a temporary fix.