Michael E. Smith's 'CC' at Palazzo Bentivoglio: A Review of Minimalist Tension

A review of Michael E. Smith's exhibition 'CC' at Palazzo Bentivoglio in Bologna critiques the show's extreme reduction. The American artist (b. 1977, Detroit) presents found objects and residual materials in the underground spaces, aiming for minimal intervention. However, the review argues that the essentialist approach fails to generate tension, leaving the architecture dominant and the objects inert. The exhibition is compared unfavorably to Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Oggetti in meno' (1965-1966) and Christoph Büchel's 'Monte di Pietà' at Fondazione Prada (2024), which used subtraction more productively. The curatorial text claims to reflect on visibility, but the review finds the show self-consuming and lacking urgency. The authors, Vincenzo Alessandria and Alberto Villa, question the purpose of exhibitions and their audience, suggesting 'CC' avoids these issues. The review was published on Artribune.