For the first time in the author’s career, a retrospective is being presented that brings together his entire cinematic and video production from 1966 to the present, thanks to the valuable contribution of the Careof video library in Milan. Franco Vaccari, a highly significant artist and a forerunner of the renewal of artistic language, has been active since the mid-1960s, consistently pursuing a body of work that today resonates remarkably with some of the latest generational trends, which recognize the relevance of his contribution and the influence of his research.

Franco Vaccari was the first artist to develop the concept of “exhibition in real time” and of the “technological unconscious,” explored both practically and theoretically. He was among the first in Italy to create installations using video, the first to theorize his own ideas through monographic texts, and the first to present a web-based project coordinated with 200 other artists. Previously unseen video material will be presented, some of which was thought to be lost and is now recovered, restored, and shown to the Italian public for the first time since its creation. The retrospective spans from his early film works from 1966 to his most recent video experiments from 2000.

This is thus a unique opportunity to engage with the journey of an artist who, despite being critically acclaimed and having participated in the Venice Biennale four times (1972, 1980, 1993 with a solo room, and in 1995 in a group show), still remains largely to be explored.

On this occasion, a book will be produced, designed by the artist himself (noting that Vaccari has also participated in major events on visual poetry and the artist’s book). The book includes texts by various authors; unpublished writings by the artist; a detailed filmography and extensive bio-bibliographic documentation.

A day of meetings is also scheduled at the Viafarini space, coordinated by Gabi Scardi: a roundtable with the artist aimed at a limited number of young artists and figures from the art world, with a presentation of his works.

The retrospective will also be presented at other institutions, including the Galleria Civica di Modena and the Museo Laboratorio of the University La Sapienza in Rome.