Wednesday, 17 December 2025, at 11:30 AM, RUFA will host the presentation of the volume Sulla necessità del Senza titolo. Il silenzio come linguaggio dell’arte (Postmediabooks, 2025).
The event will feature the author, Chiara Ianeselli, in conversation with Cesare Pietroiusti and Gianluca Lorenzini. It will be an opportunity to explore the themes of the book and to reflect on the role of the title — and on the choice of “Untitled” — throughout art history, with a particular focus on the artistic movements of the 1940s–1960s.
The book begins with a simple yet crucial question: how is a title born, and what does it mean for an artist to label a work “Untitled”? Chiara Ianeselli traces the origins, functions, and implications of titles in art, from their establishment in the 18th century to contemporary practices. Through a journey that spans from Abstract Expressionism to Minimalism and Arte Povera, Sulla necessità del Senza titolo examines “Untitled” as an artistic and conceptual choice capable of redefining the relationship between language and vision, transforming the viewer’s encounter with the artwork into a direct confrontation with its form and meaning.
Guests
Chiara Ianeselli (Trento, 1989) is an art historian. She graduated in Cultural Heritage Sciences and continued her studies with a Master’s Degree in Art History and the de Appel Curatorial Programme in Amsterdam. She obtained her PhD in Analysis and Management of Cultural Heritage at the IMT School for Advanced Studies in Lucca, with research focused on the titles of artworks. She has collaborated with major international events, including dOCUMENTA (13), the 14th Istanbul Biennial, and documenta fifteen, where she served as curatorial coordinator. She is currently working with the MAXXI – National Museum of 21st Century Arts on the development of a new museum project.
Cesare Pietroiusti is an Italian artist based in Rome. He graduated in Medicine with a thesis in Psychiatry and is cofounder of the self-managed art space Jartrakor (1977) and of the Rivista di Psicologia dell’Arte (1979). His work focuses on paradoxical or seemingly irrational situations, often considered too insignificant to be subject to analysis or representation. He has promoted and curated numerous collective projects, including Oreste (1997–2001), the conference How do I explain to my mother that what I do is useful? (Link Project, Bologna, 1997), and Oreste at the Venice Biennale (1999). He is cofounder of Nomads & Residents, New York (2000), and has taught at institutions such as the Fondazione Ratti, LUCAD – Lesley University, IUAV Venice, and NABA Rome.
As a member of the collective Lu Cafausu, he is cofounder and president of the Lac o Le Mon Foundation (San Cesario di Lecce, since 2015). Since 1977, he has exhibited in Italy and abroad in museums, independent spaces, and public institutions. In 2019, the MAMbo – Museum of Modern Art of Bologna dedicated a complete retrospective to his work.