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Shapes of Collectivity in Rome: The Case of Stalker and Artist-Run Spaces
Ogle, Zoe Elizabeth
Ogle, Zoe Elizabeth
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Abstract
This thesis explores the formation of contemporary artists’ ‘collective’ spaces in Rome, a cultural phenomenon discussed by the 2021 publication Vera, Roma, 8 Spazi, 54 Studi. Unlike Vera, this thesis approaches the issue historically, and critically. Since the late 1980s, Roman artists have struggled to maintain sustainable practices: collectors are rare, and both studio and exhibition spaces privatized. One response to the transformation of the Roman cultural landscape has been an unprecedented rise of artists’ collectives, which take on varying forms. Some share studio-space, others share exhibition venues, or even collectively produce artworks together—each iteration of “collective” attempts to gain a voice in current artistic debates. To examine some of these issues, in the context of artistic theory and practice since the 1990s, this research focuses on a case-study: the Stalker collective, founded in 1995. This long-standing collective has been the subject of art-historical, critical, and curatorial writings over the past thirty years. In many ways, Stalker has become a counterpoint to the mainstream narrative of collective practices in Rome’s cultural fabric. Stalker’s artistic practice is rooted in itinerant public participation and urban regeneration through walking, relying on post-1968 Situationist approaches, and more recent frameworks of participation, such as social practice. Whether Stalker has served as a model for the form of the collective itself is debatable, but its relevance prompts the question of what theoretical and artistic models are at the heart of this “collective” surge—and whether this model is an efficient mode of countering the neglect, or even hindrance, of public powers in the sphere of contemporary production. Many of the primary sources used for research are from Stalker’s archives, artist interviews and publications, and the specialized press. The methods used to finalize these findings rely on the model of participant-observer as well as an interdisciplinary critical iii framework rooted in art-historical literature and branching to socio-geographical studies. The development of modern collectives, their contemporary struggle for recognition, and the use of participatory aesthetic practices are paired with literature on ‘commoning' within “informal” urban spaces.
Description
Thesis (B.A. in Art History, Minor in Art and Design)--John Cabot University, Spring 2025.
Date
2025
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Keywords
Artists' studios, Pictorial works, Rome
Citation
Ogle, Zoe Elizabeth. "Shapes of Collectivity in Rome: The Case of Stalker and Artist-Run Spaces". BA Thesis, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy. 2025.