Marco Scotini on the Unarchivable and Italy's 1970s Art Legacy

In a dialogue published by Artribune, curator Marco Scotini discusses the exhibition 'L’Inarchiviabile/The Unarchivable, Italia Anni ‘70' at FM Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea in Milan. He argues that the transformative core of 1960s-70s art is an expanded institutional critique targeting not just museums but the very concept of Art. This critique, exemplified by figures like Buren, Haacke, Asher, Smithson, and Broodthaers, led to an aestheticization of reality and recognition of collective creativity. Scotini emphasizes the centrality of time over space, seeing it as a performative, qualitative, and mnemonic force that denaturalizes fixed identities. He links this to his curatorial work with archives, which he views as generative and temporary rather than retroactive. His exhibitions 'Earthrise' and 'EcologEAST' at PAV in Turin explored the intersection of artistic practices and ecological crisis across the Iron Curtain. The 'Unarchivable' show focuses on Italian art of the 1970s, featuring works by Boetti, Agnetti, Dadamaino, Vaccari, and Campagnano that challenge archival authority. Scotini's forthcoming book 'Politiques de la Végétation' (Eteropia France) continues his exploration of culturally constructed categories.