1st Edition

Arte Ambientale, Urban Space, and Participatory Art

By Martina Tanga Copyright 2019
    220 Pages 16 Color & 65 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    220 Pages 16 Color & 65 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    220 Pages 16 Color & 65 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Working in 1970s Italy, a group of artists—namely Ugo La Pietra, Maurizio Nannucci, Francesco Somaini, Mauro Staccioli, Franco Summa, and Franco Vaccari—sought new spaces to create and exhibit art. Looking beyond the gallery, they generated sculptural, conceptual, and participatory interventions, called Arte Ambientale (Environmental Art), situated in the city streets. Their experiments emerged at a time of cultural crisis, when fierce domestic terrorism aggravated an already fragile political situation. To confront the malaise, these artists embraced a position of artistic autonomy and social critique, democratically connecting the city's inhabitants through direct art practices.

    Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: Extramural Exhibitions: Volterra ’73 and Ambiente come sociale; Chapter 3: Redeployment of Sculpture in the City: Francesco Somaini and Mauro Staccioli; Chapter 4: Riappropriazione Dell’ambiente: Ugo La Pietra’s and Franco Summa’s Urban Interventions; Chapter 5: Vox Populi: Franco Vaccari's and Maurizio Nannucci’s Audience Engagement; Chapter 6: Conclusion: The Legacy of Arte Ambientale

    Biography

    Martina Tanga is an independent art historian and curator.