In “Family Show”, Francesco Bertocco takes a behind-the-scenes look at the reality show – one of the media phenomena of our times – not to observe its imposing technological and organisational structure, but to dwell on the sociological aspects that fuel it.

The video is constructed in four sequences introduced by captions, generating a narrative that captures the behind-the-scenes of the well-known television programme "X factor", gathering the testimonies, expectations and emotions of the parents who accompany their children to the auditions.

With Family Show, Bertocco gives voice to the dreams, expectations and fears of thousands of possible aspiring celebrities through the words of parents and relatives. The method is that of investigation, articulated through interviews conducted on the field during the frenetic days of the selections – for instance, those for XFactor, that took place in a Gae Aulenti square invaded by aspiring future stars.

The aim of the film is to draw a vivid and detailed portrait of the typical family from the 2000s, by observing the changes, developments and transformations of a household.

In this particular historical moment, the artist focuses on the ways in which people participate in this kind of television programme, emphasising what they are looking for and what participation can generate in terms of success, hopes, expectations and disappointments. The biggest difficulty was perhaps understanding how to stand before those dreams, which in most cases will never become a reality.

"Family Show" is a work produced in the context of ArteVisione (2011), a project by Careof and Sky Italia in support of contemporary creativity.

The work was presented in 2015 at the Schermo dell'Arte, Florence.