Survival of Contemporary Art In Italy: Youth Activism
Can Art change Italy?
“The ancientness of Rome makes it harder to understand and accept contemporary art”.
- Shara Wasserman
Over the course of these ten weeks we as a class have acquired the information on many issues that relate to our program’s theme, Youth Culture/ Contemporary Youth: The Making of a New Italy. The program’s description mentions, “creating a "new Italy", and youth culture interpreting traditional Italian institutions through a uniquely diverse and dynamic lens” (Villegas &Varghese). My research project investigates if and how contemporary art fits into that lens and how might it be affected by youth.
In a time when the country of Italy is struggling, there is a lack of acceptance and funding for contemporary art and youth, because of these issues the culture is being threatened. There are many reasons for this, “Italy has the second lowest birth rate in Europe and the West” (Global Agenda Magazine), therefore the majority of the population is over the age of 65, and this causes difficulty for youth to find jobs. The author from the novel, Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio, Amara Lakhous states, “Italy is not a country for youth, it is a shame to be young, while youth is creative, older generations do not want to see change”, this approach can not only be seen with youth but with contemporary art. Because of this, the youth population is leaving Italy in order to find jobs and is restricted from expressing their creativity, which in turn jeopardizes the economy and culture. With the poor economy, there is decline in funding for Italy’s culture: this includes the preservation of historical landmarks, art, and inevitably less funding for contemporary art. While the people of Italy are struggling with these issues, their approach to contemporary art and youth continues to be negative. However I propose that adherence of contemporary art in this culture and understanding of past historical art could create a new Italy.
Italy’s negative association to contemporary art can be blamed on Italy’s fixation with its’ ancient art and preservation. A UNESCO study placed 40% of the art in the world in Italy (E.N.I.T. North America). Italy’s own obsession with its’ art and ancient sites come from a long-standing and deserved reputation of early historical structures and artworks that are well known throughout the world. Italy’s history of art began with the Prehistoric Civilizations, Etruscans, the Roman Period, Romanesque 11th to 12th centuries, Gothic, and the Renaissance. Mannerism followed the Renaissance, along with Baroque in the 17th to 18th century, and finally the Neo-Classicism and Romanticism which was the 18th to 20 century. Interestingly enough all successors of each era were all adaptations of the art style from the past. As almost half of the world’s art is in Italy and has come from or is currently located in this country, there are unspoken expectations set for future artists that are unrealistic. When asked why this is an issue, Shara Wasserman, director of Art History at Temple University, stated “to grow up in such a historically famous art setting, it is difficult for artists to believe they are good enough to do art”. As Italy has become a country dedicated to the preservation and restoration of its historical art collections, it has become affixed by this desire to protect its possessions and hold on to the past and not welcome the future.
The acceptance of Contemporary art and youth in this country is crucial for its’ future. This acceptance could be the beginning of a new era of art, similarly to the origin of “contemporary” which is related to the destruction of the Berlin Wall. This act was the elimination of the physical and metaphorical division between eastern and western Europe in 1989 and end of communism. After the destruction of the wall, the question for artists, German, Jewish, and American alike was how to redefine modern art after the Nazis had destroyed much of it. Pablo Picasso began the modern era in 1907 followed by the Dada movement. After Dadaism, Expressionism, and Cubism, surrealism became popular, and era of the “iron curtain”, Abstract Expression and Pop Art was introduced by the renowned Andy Warhol. Consequently the era of “contemporary art” stems from the renovation of modern art and these “postmodern” eras following art’s former fascist past. In Wasserman’s words, “contemporary art is the present, past, and most importantly the future”. The Contemporary idea and youth are the essential reasons why the destruction of the Berlin wall occurred. If this vision was applied to Italy, it could be the creation of a new Italian identity.
Contemporary art can be a course of action for the survival and future of the Italian culture. There are many reasons why the public rejects contemporary art. Two of the key reasons Italy has a problem with this era of art is the funding and the negative outlook on youth and contemporary art. However contemporary art can be used as a tool of education and expression in order to save Italy’s culture. There are multiple expenses for the contemporary art, the instillation, storage, and the preservation. Many contemporary artworks are site-specific pieces; therefore having to install the piece to fit to the gallery space they have been presented. When purchasing the work of a contemporary artist, for example Christiane Lohr who uses various twigs, miniature flowers, seeds, and horsehair, an investor would have to consider the instillation. For Lohr’s piece using horsehair she installs the hair from the ceiling to the floor. Because of this process, the instillation for Lohr’s artwork is expensive. An additional example of the expenses for contemporary art is artwork produced by Daniel Hirst. His piece titled For The Love of God in 2007 is said to possess roughly 8,000 genuine diamonds to a cast of a human skull (Wasserman). Although there are artists who’s expenses are atrocious, the costs are minuscule to the amount of money Italy has put into the restoration and preservation of its historical landmarks and art.
The restoration of Italy’s renowned art and ancient sites such as the pantheon, Michael Angelo’s statue of David, and the Colosseum has and will continue to cost this country billions and billions of dollars. The Colosseum is currently in need of a renovation and the Italian government has asked private investors for funds and has received an offer of 25 million from an international shoe company Tod’s (Angelini). However this historical landmark will need to be continually preserved and restored which will never cease to cost anything less than that amount. Consequently the expenses of contemporary art and housing for the art such as MACRO are miniscule when comparing the two. The costs to run MACRO are around 8 million a year, however as the numbers show, this is a diminutive amount contrasted from 25 million.
The MACRO and MAXXI museums are used to educate the public about contemporary art. These places are the only contemporary art museums in Rome. The museums educate the public through wall texts, available in Italian and English, permanent and temporary exhibits, and through this they continue to be connected with a global universal system. When asked how museums and galleries can support contemporary art and youth, Mirela Pribac, a local artist in Rome, stated they “represent a means for promoting contemporary artists, for assuring some of them a living. In the case of commercial galleries that promote art worth promoting, there are either some very serious money/strategy/economic games supporting them (that purely pertain to the world of business and not of the romance of art) or, more and more rarely, there are some figures, such as curators and critics who objectively write about important trends and artworks presented”. Unfortunately the income of an artist varies throughout the production and presentation of their work. If more funding was provided for such artists, the issues Pribac mentioned would be reduced.
There have been many complaints about the recently constructed controversial museum, MAXXI. However MAXXI “jolts this city back to the present like a thunderclap. Its sensual lines seem to draw the energy of the city right up into its belly, making everything around it look timid” (Ouroussoff). In the end the contemporary art museums are the key to educating not only the immediate locale but also youth in order to create new eras of art and the possibility of expression.
Unfortunately there are negative stereotypes that are paired with the expression of contemporary art and youth such as graffiti artists committing vandalism and contemporary art not actually being art. However these clichés are a result of unfamiliarity and understanding. Youth today has found different ways in which to express themselves. Street art and contemporary art will ultimately be the new genre and future of art, as we know it. These acts of expression through all styles of contemporary art and street art are causing a movement among young people to act on the issues the world is faced with today. In an interview with Mirela Pribac she stated, “although this is a paradoxical and debated issue in and of itself, since street art is fully and intrinsically legitimized through its free existence in the public sphere, free of any constraints of the art market or other governing forces. In the end, the key to the vast issue is to be found in the discussion about the institutional theory of art”. This idea of “free existence in the public sphere” is how the youth can demonstrate these issues.
Although there are young graffiti artists that currently that tag, that vandalize, the contrasting artists also exist. Blu, Bansky, JR, and Bol, each one of these graffiti street artists has created a positive image for themselves and has touched their society, country, or culture by their artwork (Lasciailsegno). Blu is known to produce grand scale art that represents his opinion of communism and materialism, Bansky uses the street and building walls to make lifelike sketches that tell a story or send a message of world peace and acceptance, JR a widely known French artist for attempting to break borders has confronted the Iranian and Somalian issue through posting immense posters of Iranian and Somalian faces directly next to each other. Sadly enough the majority of the population has a difficult time understanding contemporary art because they lack the imagination and patience of conceptual art which revolves around the “idea” of the art rather than what the art is physically. Contemporary art is about “how” the art was produced, rather than “what” was produced.
While speaking at a conference about changing the world, the graffiti artist JR declares that, “Art is supposed to change perceptions. Art can change the way we see the world. Art cannot change things, it makes it a neutral place for exchanges and descriptions and then enables it to change the world” (JR). This idea of “art changing the world” initially generated my research project and the question of contemporary art and youth changing Italy. With the understanding of ancient art in Italy and tolerance with this “new” era, contemporary art lead by the youth, can find a way to survive in this country. New York Times Reporter, Nicolai Ouroussoff, in his article Modern Lines for the Eternal City stated, “Cities thrive when each generation attempts to rise to the challenges of the past while remaining true to contemporary values”. It is this idea that concludes my findings on this subject. The limitations I encountered with my research were the lack of studies being produced analyzing how contemporary art fits in to Italian society and unavailability of interviewees. Considering the duration of contemporary art, ten years behind and ahead, I can conclude this project could be thoroughly executed in a span of ten years. Because of this length of time, contemporary artists and youth must patiently wait to be accepted in a society that is restrained by its historical stature. By accepting this idea of change Italy’s economy, youth, and culture could prosper, ultimately leading to the survival of Contemporary Art and youth.
Works Cited
Wasserman, Shara. "Interview on Contemporary Art." Personal interview. 3 Mar. 2011.
Varghese, Manka, and Julie Villegas. Youth Culture/Contemporary Youth: The Making of a New Italy. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. <http://uwhonorswinterrome2011.blogspot.com/>.
Glo-con. "Low Birth Rates in Italy Liguria." International Real Estate Listings - Real Estate for Sale and Rentals. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. <http://www.glo-con.com/article/article_no/1383/>.
Lakhous, Amara. "Amara Lakhous Speaking about Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio." University of Washington, Rome Center. 17 Feb. 2011. Lecture.
"ITALIA - Art Periods in Italy." ITALY - Tourism in Italy, Travel Tips, Information, Italian Regions. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. <http://www.italiantourism.com/art_italy.html>.
Angelini, Francesca. "Tod’s to Give Colosseum a Makeover." The Source. Wall Street Journal. Web. 5 Mar. 2011. <http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2010/12/06/tods-to-give-colosseum-a-fashion-makeover/>.
Pribac, Mirela. "Local Artist In Rome." E-mail interview. 2 Mar. 2011.
OUROUSSOFF, NICOLAI. "Modern Lines for the Eternal City." The New York Times. 11 Nov. 2009. Web. 1 Mar. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/arts/design/12zaha.html>.
"Lasciailsegno." Lasciailsegno. Museo Virtuale Dell'effimero, 6 Apr. 2007. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. <www.lasciailsegno.it>.
JR. "JR's TED Prize Wish: Use Art to Turn the World inside out." Speech. Ted Conference LLC, Mar. 2011. Web. 3 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ted.com/talks/jr_s_ted_prize_wish_use_art_to_turn_the_world_inside_out.html>.
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