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Renato Barilli on Tech's Gaze Shift, Abramovic's Greek Therapy, Roman Villa in Wiltshire

cultural-heritage · 2026-05-05

Renato Barilli analyzes how technology has transformed perception, referencing McLuhan and the 1968 upheaval when artists declared the end of painting in favor of photography and ready-mades. He describes a lecture series in Colombia where he observed young people absorbed in smartphones. At the Benaki Museum in Athens, Marina Abramovic led 24 performers in durational actions addressing Greece's crisis: one performer counts in Greek for eight hours daily, another endures low-frequency sounds, a third breaks a boulder with an axe. In Wiltshire, England, a Roman villa with remarkably preserved mosaics was accidentally discovered in a garden; Historic England calls it an unprecedented find.

Key facts

  • Renato Barilli published an analysis in L'Unità on technology's impact on vision.
  • Barilli referenced McLuhan and the 1968 end-of-painting movement.
  • Barilli's observations came from a lecture cycle in Colombia.
  • Marina Abramovic directed 24 performers at the Benaki Museum in Athens.
  • One performer counts aloud in Greek for eight hours daily.
  • Another performer documents effects of low-frequency sound on mind and body.
  • A third performer uses an axe to break a large rock and then applies mortar.
  • A Roman villa with intact mosaics was discovered in a Wiltshire garden.
  • Historic England described the find as 'unprecedented in recent years'.

Entities

Artists

  • Renato Barilli
  • Marina Abramovic

Institutions

  • L'Unità
  • Benaki Museum
  • Historic England

Locations

  • Colombia
  • Athens
  • Greece
  • Wiltshire
  • England

Sources