Roberto Ago Critiques the 2017 Venice Biennale and Italian Pavilion

Roberto Ago's editorial for Artribune offers a critical analysis of the 57th Venice Biennale (2017), titled "Viva Arte Viva" and curated by Christine Macel, which he deems static, decorative, and clumsy overall. He contrasts this with the Italian Pavilion, curated by Cecilia Alemani, which he praises as finally dignified but warns against uncritical enthusiasm. Ago argues that Italian curators trained abroad, like Alemani, Andrea Bellini, or Vincenzo De Bellis, guarantee professionalism and international standards. However, he notes that the Pavilion lacks non-aligned experimentation. He critiques the three selected artists: Adelita Husni-Bey's video installation "The Reading / La Seduta" is deemed illustrative and scholastic; Roberto Cuoghi's installation, though conceptually inspired with an Imitatio Christi theme, suffers from a TV-set aesthetic and echoes of Mark Manders and Pawel Althamer; Giorgio Andreotta Calò's "Senza Titolo (La fine del mondo)" is praised as masterful and polysemic, though Ago advises him to remain faithful to his watery origins. The editorial reflects on the broader state of Italian curation and the need for innovation.