Michelangelo Pistoletto and Father Antonio Spadaro Discuss Art and Spirituality in New Book

A new book titled "Spiritualità" (Marsilio editore) collects dialogues between artist Michelangelo Pistoletto and Father Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See. The conversation, moderated by Francesco Monico, took place on May 14, 2025 at the Maxxi in Rome. The book will also be presented at the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino on Sunday, May 18, 2025 at 11:45 in the Sala Rosa of the Lingotto. Pistoletto's mirror paintings (Quadri specchianti) serve as a central metaphor: they reflect the viewer, making them a protagonist and symbolizing responsibility. Spadaro emphasizes that art acts as an "enzyme" to ferment the present. Both discuss Pope Francis as an inspirational figure—Pistoletto calls him "an artist by aspiration"—and note his love for poetry. The conversation touches on memory, salvation, and the need to heal wounds. Pistoletto introduces the concept of the "Third Paradise" and "preventive peace." On artificial intelligence, Spadaro warns against reducing humans to algorithms, stressing the importance of the body and concrete experience. Pistoletto sees technology as an "active mirror" that requires conscious management. The book includes a chapter titled "Spiritualità algoritmica." Both agree that spirituality is a process, not an absolute, and that art plays a fundamental role in navigating the tension between the human and the technological.