Marco Scotini on the Institutionalization of Experimental Art Spaces

Curator Marco Scotini reflects on the legacy of Neon, a pioneering experimental gallery in Bologna that operated from 1981 to 2011. The gallery's story is documented in the volume "NO, NEON, NO CRY" published by MAMbo, which collects voices from artists, curators, and critics. Scotini draws on post-operaist theories of constituent power versus constituted power, arguing that experimental spaces must remain fluid and decentralized to avoid losing their transformative potential. He cites the Asian Art Archive in Hong Kong (founded 2000) and the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut (founded 1997) as examples of institutions that successfully preserved alternative histories, though the latter recently faced tensions when moving toward a more formal structure. In Italy, Scotini notes that mainstream archives are held by museums like Castello di Rivoli and MAXXI, but a true network of constituent institutions is still lacking. The debate was sparked by a Facebook post from Emilia-Romagna's culture assessor Mauro Felicori and continues on Artribune.