Giornata del contemporaneo – Italian Contemporary Art Day | Presentation

Christian Caliandro conducts an in-depth and timely investigation into the international projection of Italian art. Through an approach that combines sociological analysis and aesthetic criticism, the volume explores how our artistic system is perceived outside national borders, in a historical moment dominated by the proliferation of images and technological innovation.

The discussion will feature Andrea Lombardinilo, President of La Quadriennale di Roma; Christian Caliandro, author of the book; and Patrizia Libralato, Founder and Executive Director of the Toronto Biennial of Art. The conversation will be moderated by Prof. Paolo Granata, University of Toronto.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Christian Caliandro is a contemporary art critic and historian. He teaches History of Contemporary Painting, History and Methodology of Art Criticism, and Economy and the Art Market at Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Among his books: La trasformazione delle immagini. L’inizio del postmoderno tra arte, cinema e teoria, 1977-1983 (Mondadori Electa, 2008), Italia Relodaded: Ripartire con la cultura (il Mulino 2011, con Pier Luigi Sacco), Italia Revolution. Rinascere con la cultura (Bompiani 2013), Italia Evolution. Crescere con la cultura (Meltemi 2018), Tracce di identità dell’ arte italiana. Opere dal patrimonio del Gruppo Unipol (Silvana Editoriale 21018) il manuale Storie dell’ arte contemporanea (Mondadori Unviersità 2021), L’arte rotta (Castelvecchi 2022) e Contro l’arte fighetta (2023). From 2004 to 2011 he was editor inteoria and essai for “Exibart”‘ and since 2011 he is editor of inpratica for “Artribune”.

Andrea Lombardinilo is an associate professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at Roma Tre Univeristy, where he teaches the Sociology of Education and Sociology of Cultural Processes. Prof Lombardinilo has held various positions at the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), including Head of the Technical Secretariat for the Director-General for Universities and for the Head of the Department for Universities, Higher Artistic and Musical Education, and Research. His research focuses on the reform processes of the university system, with a particular emphasis on the sociology of academic spaces and institutional communication strategies. He also conducts research in the fields of media sociology, journalism, and literature. He serves as the President of the La Quadriennale di Roma Foundation and vice-president of the National Center for D’Annunzio Studies.

Patrizia Libralato – Born in Toronto with lived experience in Italy, Patrizia Libralato is a cultural leader, city-builder, and arts executive with more than 30 years of national and international experience across the commercial, public, and non-profit art sectors. An Honours graduate in Art History from the University of Toronto, with advanced studies at the University of Siena and Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Economics and Management in Arts, Culture and Communication (CLEACC), she brings a rare combination of artistic vision, strategic management, entrepreneurial leadership, and civic commitment. Libralato is the Founding Executive Director of the Toronto Biennial of Art, where she has led the organization since 2017 following three years as a volunteer founding Board member. Her leadership has positioned the Biennial as one of Canada’s most significant international contemporary art platforms.

Paolo Granata is a Professor of Book and Media Studies at the University of Toronto’s St. Michael’s College and a Fellow at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. An award-winning educator and internationally recognized media scholar, his work spans media ecology, semiotics, educational technologies, and philosophy of technology. He is the founder and director of the Media Ethics Lab and has held academic positions in Italy, Canada, Brazil, and China. His latest book is Generative Knowledge: Think, Learn, Create with AI (Wiley, 2026).