Roberto Ago Critiques the 16th Quadriennale di Roma

Roberto Ago delivers a scathing review of the 16th Quadriennale di Roma, held at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, criticizing the curatorial team of eleven for selecting a theme he deems clumsy and for overcrowding the exhibition with weak works. He argues that contemporary Italian art suffers from self-inflicted masochism and that curators, not just artists, should be held accountable for the decline. Ago praises only two curatorial projects: Luca Lo Pinto's "Ad occhi chiusi gli occhi sono straordinariamente aperti" (Sala 6) and Cristiana Perrella's "La seconda volta" (Sala 5), describing them as conceptually resolved and visually satisfying. He dismisses other sections, such as Simone Frangi's "Orestiade italiana" (Sala 2) as pretentious, and criticizes the lack of selectivity, with too many artists and works crammed into the space. He highlights a few standout works, including Massimo Grimaldi's digital portraits on iPad and Danilo Correale's installation, but overall finds the exhibition epigonal, awkward, and unaware of its shortcomings. Ago calls for a more rigorous approach in future editions, suggesting that the 17th Quadriennale learn from these mistakes or risk closing again.