Raffaele Gavarro on the Fragmented State of Italian Contemporary Art

In a lengthy essay on Artribune, critic Raffaele Gavarro argues that Italian contemporary art is hindered by a nostalgic reliance on its historical past, which prevents it from engaging with the present's complexity. He draws parallels with the recent book "Viaggio in Italia" (il Mulino, 2017), edited by Gianfranco Viesti and Bruno Simili, which describes Italy as a country of irreconcilable pluralities—spatial, generational, and economic. Gavarro notes that the Italian art system is shaped by economic inequality, family networks, and regional differences, with cities like Milan, Turin, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Palermo each producing distinct artistic identities. He highlights the precarious condition of young artists, often dependent on their families, and the exodus of many to Berlin, Brussels, Vienna, Paris, London, and the US. Gavarro critiques the tendency to use art history as a "nostalgic cage" and calls for artists to confront contemporary reality rather than retreat into aesthetic continuity. He references Giorgio Agamben's lectures "Creazione e anarchia" (Neri Pozza, 2017) and Michel Foucault's idea that the past is the shadow of present inquiry. The essay was written before the March 4, 2018 Italian political elections, which Gavarro says left him disillusioned.