Sincerity vs. Performance in Contemporary Art

Christian Caliandro reflects on a trend in contemporary culture where artists and writers prioritize persona over work, drawing on Gianluigi Simonetti's critique of the 2022 Strega Prize final. Simonetti noted that finalists adopted performative masks, shifting focus from their work to themselves, fearing the work alone is insufficient. Caliandro extends this to visual art, arguing that such posturing undermines sincerity and authenticity. He defines sincere art as radical, self-excavating, and not seeking immediate gratification, contrasting it with insincere work that sells itself by answering pre-scripted questions. The article, published on Artribune in September 2022, questions how to distinguish authentic from inauthentic art, suggesting this is the critic's task.