Neovernacular as Antidote to Cynicism in Contemporary Art

Christian Caliandro argues that cynicism has pervaded contemporary art, manifesting as an obsession with trendiness and being 'in the know,' a condition David Foster Wallace described as 'the form of bored fatigue that is so in.' This cynicism, rooted in postmodern literature, now dominates visual art, where fashion dictates the selection and assembly of past forms. Caliandro contends that art operates differently and that forcing incompatible demands makes the system unstable—or transforms art into something else entirely. The alternative lies in the neovernacular: a crude, spontaneous, and brutal form that recovers energy and conviction. This requires a naive belief in art's power as magic, where the 'popular' element—deeply connected to daily habits and community needs—is foundational. Caliandro references Goffredo Parise's 1982 essay 'L'eleganza è frigida,' which illustrates this through a detail: the hand-tied vegetable cord around protective cages for trees in Tokyo. Parise's protagonist Marco realizes this handwork persists for aesthetic reasons, respecting tradition, material harmony, and human creativity, making it an artwork. Caliandro concludes that such neovernacular practices offer a way out of cynical detachment.