Cultural guerrilla and radical aesthetics: Lotta poetica and the controversy over conceptual art/visual poetry
Abstract
The polemic visual poetry magazine Lotta poetica made its debut in Italy in the early 1970s. Led by poets Isaia Mabellini, alias Sarenco, and Paul de Vree, the magazine was born with a clear international vocation and openly involved in the social struggle. Since its inception, they started an intense controversy centered around demonstrating how conceptual art was a plagiarism of visual poetry, which lasted several of its early years. This article explores what was Lotta poetica, how this controversy took place, and how it fitted in the particular political and sociocultural context of Italian 1970s. We will also explore how Lotta poetica understood American conceptual art as another token of U.S. colonialism, as well as the intentions behind bringing up this controversy.
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