Serge Latouche's 'Il disastro urbano e la crisi dell’arte contemporanea' critiques commodification of art and cities

Serge Latouche, professor emeritus of economics at Université Paris-Sud, has published 'Il disastro urbano e la crisi dell’arte contemporanea' (Elèuthera, 2025). The essay links urban decay and contemporary art's impasse to 'omnimercification'—the total commodification of the world. Latouche introduces the concept of 'Hyperpolis,' a giant supermarket-city inspired by Le Clézio's 'Les Géants,' where boundaries, history, and meaning disappear. He argues that the 'colonization of the imaginary' imposes values of competition, profit, and spectacle on both urban planning and art, resulting in non-places and market-driven creativity. The book critiques archistars, art fairs, and iconic museums as part of the same circus fueled by sponsors and auction records. Latouche draws on Castoriadis, Baudrillard, and Ellul to assert that authentic art escapes propaganda and financial hype. He sees resistance in street art, collectives, and festivals. The concept of 'degrowth' (decrescita) is presented not as a fixed alternative but as a matrix for diverse, sustainable societies. In an interview, Latouche explains that the economic imaginary suppresses aesthetic development, but creativity persists in peripheral forms like cinema. The book urges architects, curators, and administrators to ask whom their work serves.