Museum wall texts still alienate visitors, argues Artribune editor

In a November 2025 opinion piece for Artribune, editor Massimiliano Tonelli critiques the persistent opacity of museum wall texts, using his experience at the Istanbul Biennial as a case study. Despite finding the exhibition coherent and engaging, Tonelli struggled with incomprehensible labels, which he attributes to a specialized jargon he calls "critichese" or "artese." He contrasts this with a Tate exhibition on contemporary Nigerian art, where labels were clear and accessible even to non-native English speakers and art novices. Tonelli argues that many institutions still communicate in code, undermining their stated goals of inclusion. He notes that while some museums are improving label writing through curator training, the broader challenge of audience engagement in a distraction-heavy ecosystem remains. Tonelli calls for simpler, curiosity-driven texts that do not make visitors feel inferior, as he did in Istanbul. The piece includes promotional blurbs for Artribune newsletters and affiliate book links.