Roberto Ago on the Warburg Syndrome: When Icon Juxtaposition Becomes Artistic
Roberto Ago, a visual critic and analyst of symbolic systems, examines the contemporary practice of juxtaposing icons in art, tracing its roots to Aby Warburg's iconology. He argues that while many artists employ this technique, few achieve true artisticity, which requires a differential sign function pointing beyond the sum of parts. Ago critiques artists like Haris Epaminonda, Peter Piller, Davide Trabucco, Kader Attia, and Giovanni Kronenberg for falling into mannerism or superficiality. He contrasts them with successful examples from Kris Martin, Jason Dodge, Jonathan Horowitz, and Piotr Uklanski, whose works demonstrate polysemy and emotional charge. Ago proposes a criterion: a successful juxtaposition must function as a metaphorical error that is both coherent and disorienting, activating an intertextual hermeneutic process. The article is part of a series on art criticism published on Artribune.
Key facts
- Roberto Ago is a visual critic and analyst of symbolic systems.
- Ago holds degrees from Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera and Università degli Studi di Milano.
- Ago is a founding member of the Italian magazine Controversie.
- The article discusses the practice of juxtaposing icons in contemporary art.
- Ago traces the practice to Aby Warburg's iconology.
- Ago critiques artists including Haris Epaminonda, Peter Piller, Davide Trabucco, Kader Attia, and Giovanni Kronenberg.
- Ago praises works by Kris Martin, Jason Dodge, Jonathan Horowitz, and Piotr Uklanski.
- The article proposes a criterion for artistic juxtaposition based on metaphorical function and intertextual hermeneutics.
- The article references Georges Didi-Huberman's 'L'image insepulte' (2002).
- The article references Alberto Martinengo's 'Filosofie della metafora' (2016).
- The article references Franco Vaccari's economicistic theses on Duchamp.
- The article is part of a series titled 'Lezioni di critica' on Artribune.
Entities
Artists
- Roberto Ago
- Aby Warburg
- Haris Epaminonda
- Peter Piller
- Davide Trabucco
- Kader Attia
- Giovanni Kronenberg
- Kris Martin
- Jason Dodge
- Jonathan Horowitz
- Piotr Uklanski
- Marcel Duchamp
- Franco Vaccari
- Jan Dibbets
- Lorraine O'Grady
- Georges Didi-Huberman
- Alberto Martinengo
- Cicciolina
- Klaus Kinski
Institutions
- Artribune
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- Controversie
- Bollati Boringhieri
- Guerini Scientifica
Locations
- Italy
- Milan