Arte Povera

Arte Povera (shabby art) is a visual art form that uses simple and cheap materials by artists in their installations, assemblages and performances. The materials used take on a new meaning thanks to the artist. However, the materials used are not necessarily cheap. The works are generally layered, complex, extravagant and use contrasting materials. It contains unexpected combinations of images and a fusion of past and present, nature and culture, and art and life. The art form has its roots in Italy, especially the industrial North where there was little poverty. Raising the issue of the situation of the poor was not the aim of the artists within Arte Povera either. They emphasize abstract concepts, such as the moral degeneration of a society driven by the accumulation of material wealth. Arte Povera was created in a time of economic prosperity and commercialization. There was also a lot going on politically, especially the protests in 1968 and 1969 by students and workers. Therefore, Arte Povera can be considered the answer to the zeitgeist in Italy. The boundaries of art were pushed, the use of materials was expanded and the nature of art, including the role of society, was explored.