Neovernacular Art: Daily Life and Utility

The article, published on Artribune, explores the concept of 'neovernacular' art, drawing on Goffredo Parise's description of a hand-tied loop of plant cord around trees in Tokyo from his 1982 work 'L'eleganza è frigida'. Parise argued that this collective, anonymous work evoked the same emotion as a work of art, challenging the necessity of a single author or unique originality. The neovernacular language, unlike contemporary art's codified references, directly addresses everyday life's deep needs, becoming nearly indistinguishable from common objects. The text cites Virginia Woolf's 'A Room of One's Own' (1928) on the importance of being oneself and thinking of things as they are. The community dimension is central: neovernacular art serves individual and collective life, improving conditions by making reality feel 'as it is'. The article references Tommaso Fiore's description of a trullo interior in Alberobello from the mid-1920s as another model. Christian Caliandro, the author, is a contemporary art historian teaching at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze and a member of Symbola Foundation's scientific committee.