ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Post-pandemic investment priorities: finance and health dominate Italy's budget

opinion-review · 2026-04-27

The article reflects on Italy's post-pandemic economic priorities, analyzing public spending data from 2018 on budget.g0v.it. The largest budget items are debt repayment and healthcare, representing finance and survival. The author argues these reveal a collective metaphysical horizon where financial instruments and biological duration outweigh other values. A tiny budget item for architecture, contemporary art, design, and fashion is noted as a potential counterbalance. The piece questions whether the pandemic has truly shifted values toward solidarity or if society will revert to pre-2019 norms.

Key facts

  • The article analyzes Italy's 2018 public spending data from budget.g0v.it.
  • The two largest budget items are debt repayment and healthcare.
  • The author compares these priorities to ancient Egyptian funerary monuments and medieval cathedrals.
  • A small budget item exists for architecture, contemporary art, design, and fashion.
  • The article was published in Artribune Magazine #55.
  • The author is Marco Senaldi, a philosopher and curator.
  • The piece questions whether pandemic solidarity will persist.
  • The article suggests post-pandemic scenario will enlarge the two main budget bubbles.

Entities

Artists

  • Marco Senaldi

Institutions

  • Artribune
  • Università di Milano Bicocca
  • IULM di Milano
  • FMAV di Modena
  • Accademia di Brera
  • LABA Libera Accademia di Belle Arti

Locations

  • Italy

Sources