Talk 2023

This year’s in-depth exploration addresses specific and highly topical issues on the art agenda.

Friday – 24 november at 11:00 PM – Area Talk
VisionaryAI – Guarda l’Invisibile, Crea l’Impensabile
organized by Regione Lazio e Lazio Innova

The Lazio Region and Lazio Innova organized the event ‘Visionary AI – See the Impossible, Create the Unthinkable’, which took place during Roma Arte in Nuvola – the International Fair of Modern and Contemporary Art, at La Nuvola in Rome on November 24, 2023, starting at 11:00 AM.

‘Visionary AI – See the Impossible, Create the Unthinkable’ is a workshop where AI technology meets AI companies and professionals, visionaries, and artists. It is an opportunity to explore new horizons and discover how artificial intelligence is redefining the boundaries of what is possible.

Why Participate:
– For Artists:Discover how AI can be a powerful ally in your journey, offering new perspectives and tools for exploring human expression. Present your work in 2 minutes and explain how you would like to be supported by AI in your practice.
– For AI Companies: Showcase your solutions and AI visions, demonstrating how your technology can open new paths in the world of art and beyond.

Speakers:

• Francesco Marcolini, President Lazio Innova
• Laura Tassinari, Director IC Lazio Innova
• Valentino Catricalà, Curator SODA Gallery Manchester
• Simona Amendola, Innovation Manager IC Lazio Innova

Friday – 24 november at 4:00 PM – Area Talk
“La sostenibilità è insostenibile?”
presented by Carolina Conforti, Co-founder The Art Talk Magazine

In a society built on instant gratification and saturated with distractions, actively engaging the community is a real challenge. With global economic hardships forcing many to choose between essentials like food and heating or light, how can we even think of supporting sustainability? Can art serve as a bridge to raise awareness, and can architecture—through the design of new smart cities—utilize sustainable materials? Ultimately, is sustainability truly sustainable?

Moderator: Carolina Conforti (talk in english)
Speakers:

• Daniel Wiener, President of  “Global Infrastructure Basel
  Foundation” (GIB)
• Marco Zappalorto, Director of Development TBA 21 ThyssenBornemisza Art Contemporary
• Katherina Vaivre, Managing Director of  “Engadine Art Talks” (E.A.T.)
• Sergio Buttiglieri, Director of “San Lorenzo Yachts”
• Francois Laurent Renet, Co-founder of “Art Talk Network”

Friday – 24 november at 6:30 PM – Installazione multimediale di Vincenzo Marsiglia, Forum, Level 0
“Map (Star) The World Cloud”
presented by di Davide Sarchioni

Saturday – 25 november at 4:00 PM – Area Talk
“È possibile un’estetica dell’intelligenza artificiale? E il mercato?”
presented by Adriana Polveroni

Artificial intelligence is also a challenge for art because, as has already happened, artworks can be created by AI.
Anticipating a progressive refinement of this process, it is not a futuristic fantasy to imagine galleries, museums, and ateliers hosting works produced by AI. Historically, technology has never frightened art—in fact, art has embraced it as much as possible. From the use of the camera to the creative use of more sophisticated technologies, as seen with Media Art, and even the largely instrumental approach that many artists have taken towards NFTs.
This behavior has characterized artistic practices for over a century. However, there is another potential use of AI that may raise serious concerns. Can we rule out the use of algorithms and tools like ChatGPT to predict trends in the art market and, in doing so, influence the choices of collectors and the orientations of galleries?
Beyond the significant impact that AI has on our world and on artistic practices, perhaps the real challenge is different. Simply put: how can we invest in technological processes that possess aesthetic quality? How can we transform the outcomes of technology into realities that are aesthetically significant?
This is one of the key points that distinguishes artistic practice from other approaches engaging with the fast, pervasive, and sophisticated technology that governs our lives. It’s not just about the use, appropriation, and claim to technology by artists or its potentially heavy impact on the market, but also about the ability to “touch” technology from an artistic point of view.

In summary, the discussion revolves around the following points:
– From a historical perspective: virtuous examples of how AI, as a system of technologies, has been used in the creation of Media Art works.
– Can AI actually replace artists?
– Can a market already heavily influenced by economic rather than aesthetic or value-based choices be further impacted by AI?
– AI—and all the issues connected to it—as an object of artistic reflection, up to the potential outlining of an aesthetics of Artificial Intelligence.

Moderator: Bruno Di Marino, Historian of  “Immagini in Movimento”
Speakers:

• Valentino Catricalà, Critic e Curator
• Federica Di Pietrantonio, Artist
• Novelio Furin, Lawyer and Collector
• Numero Cromatico, Artist Collective
• Oriana Persico, Artist and Theorist

Saturday – 25 november at 6:00 PM – Area Talk
“Arte e diplomazia culturale”
presented by Marco Maria Cerbo

Art and cultural diplomacy are powerful tools for promoting dialogue among nations. Exhibitions, performances, international artistic collaborations, and cultural exchanges foster encounters between diverse cultures and provide an excellent basis for building strong bonds of friendship. Art and culture—including all forms of artistic production, from music to cinema to literature—represent a potent ‘soft power’ that helps improve our country’s image abroad.

One of the key objectives inspiring the actions of the General Directorate for Public and Cultural Diplomacy is to showcase the most representative expressions of contemporary life. The aim is to offer the public the most current vision of our country through our excellences in the cutting-edge sectors of scientific research, technology, industry, design, and the arts.

Topics to be addressed:
– The Contemporary Art Collection of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Creation and curatorial choices.
– How national culture is promoted: The role of public institutions.
– The artist and their relationship with institutions: Is the institution a vehicle for the international promotion of their work? Is there a relationship of mutual benefit?

Moderator: Marco Maria Cerbo
Speakers:

• Angela Tecce, Critio e Curator
• Pietro Ruffo, Artist
• Umberto Vattani, Ambassador, President of “Venice International University”

Sunday –  26 november at 4:00 PM – Area Talk
“I nuovi divulgatori e il sistema dell’arte”
presented by di Valentina Ciarallo

The topic of the talk ‘The New Communicators and the Art System’ for Roma Arte in Nuvola 2023 aims to explore the changing practice of art dissemination thanks to the use of social media and the rise of ‘art influencers.’ Through the contributions of several guests, the talk compares traditional dissemination practices with current ones, emphasizing the advent of new generations in promoting artistic heritage, how they are perceived within the sector, and the results achieved in terms of engagement through these new professional figures. The debate also examines the new entertainment platforms entering the market, analyzing how the approach methodologies and content vary depending on the channel and the target audience.

Moderator: Giancarlo Loquenzi, Journalist “Radio Rai1”
Speakers:

• Giulio Alvigini, @makeitalianartgreatagain, Artist
• Giuseppe Fantasia, Journalist “Pagine Cultura e Società”
• Valeria Montebello, Author and Podcaster
• Evelina Silvestroni, @a_r_t_i_t_u_d_e, Content Cultural Creator, Communicator and Social Media Manager