Nostalgia and Technology: How Contemporary Art Loses the Future
Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art is trapped in a nostalgic loop, unable to critically engage with the present or imagine the future. Drawing on Grafton Tanner's concept of the 'nostalgoritmo' (from 'Nostalgoritmo. Politica della nostalgia', Tlon 2024), he contends that technology has monopolized the notion of futurity, reducing time to software updates. Art, meanwhile, remains fixated on reenactments and pastiche, a tendency that began with postmodernism nearly fifty years ago. Caliandro calls for a malleable, non-linear time that allows for invention and deviation from the accelerated consumption of turbo-capitalism.
Key facts
- Christian Caliandro is a contemporary art historian born in 1979.
- Caliandro teaches art history at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze.
- He is a member of the scientific committee of Symbola Fondazione per le Qualità italiane.
- Grafton Tanner's book 'Nostalgoritmo. Politica della nostalgia' was published by Tlon in 2024.
- The article references a previous piece on Donald Trump's 'ipnocratic' imaginary.
- Caliandro states that nostalgia in art has diversified across literature, architecture, cinema, design, fashion, music, visual art, politics, economy, society, and lifestyle.
- He claims that technology is the only area that currently moves forward, providing proof that time is passing.
- The article is published on Artribune.
- The article includes a list of recommended books and previous episodes.
- The article is part of a series on nostalgia and contemporary art.
Entities
Artists
- Christian Caliandro
- Grafton Tanner
Institutions
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze
- Symbola Fondazione per le Qualità italiane
- Tlon
- Artribune
Locations
- Firenze
- Italy