Oh, the complications of the present. These complications weigh heavy on the mind of the artist Francesco Vezzoli. So much so, that when Document asked the Italian filmmaker, image-maker, auteur, self-proclaimed “wild boy,” and regular contributor to the magazine, to be the first guest curator of exclusive content for our site, he swiftly embarked on a string of thoughts about this “reactionary moment.” Questions of family, and the differences in generational mores, flash brightly in the artist’s mind. “Perhaps, there is more freedom, right now, than the young ones know what to do with it,” he tells Document. “This younger generation is always looking to do safer things.”
It’s a theme that we’ll pursue in the next several weeks, gathering voices from both sides of the generational gap to gauge the cultural movements under way, to look closely at Vezzoli’s premise, to make sense of creativity in a most curious age. In a conversation with Silvia Venturini Fendi and Delfina Delettrez, we first explore these themes—and the answers just might surprise you.
