MINI Space - Rome on Fire – Nero as Independent Magazine - Projects - Check-In Architecture - creative projects, competitions, events, thoughts and ideas, by MINI

Background by

I like it show next

all about the competition

Check-In Architecture Missions About

previous video

view mission list

next video

Rome on Fire – Nero as Independent Magazine

From: Naples, Italy to Rome, Italy

Share this video

Agents Report:

The Agents:

Carolina

Rossella

Leave our agents a message

Our mission’s aim was to reach Rome and to get information about the independent magazine Nero. We first met Lorenzo Micheli Bigotti, one of the four editors of the magazine. The interview took place at Villa Ada. Then we took some pictures at “Paraphernalia”, a clothes shop where Nero is distributed. We visited the MONITOR gallery, where we had the chance to interview the gallerist Paola Capata and ask her about Nero magazine.; at the S.A.L.E.S. gallery we listened gallerist Norberto Ruggieri’s opinion about the magazine. The last gallery we visited was the Lorcan O’Neill Gallery, where, besides taking pictures and shooting Martin Creed’s pieces of art, we interviewed the gallerist Lorcan O’ Neill about Nero. Last place we went has been “Brakbar drinks 42”, another spot where is possible to find Nero. Rossella Bicco e Carolina Calmieri

Original Briefing

How does an independent magazine navigate a cultural economy?

Though it's ambitions are unknown, Nero, Rome's newest art magazine, has a name that smacks of the mad ambition of the Roman Emperor who sang while the capital burned. Given their sharp critical reasoning, not withstanding the state of Rome or of contemporary art, one could easily say that they not only dance why the fire burns but they might be the ones to try and set the fire themselves. The landscape of art magazines in Italy has long stagnated with strange ways of Flash Art ruling supreme, but lately Mousse out of Milan and now Nero have been vying to be the next major art magazine. Newspapers are granted critical distance by the marketplace of advertisers given their general coverage, they can write honest and critical reports on a car company and still get ladies' underwear ads. Art magazines are a particular entity in this sense, as they have all the onus of critical distance but have to depend for advertising on the people they critique. How critical (or honest perhaps) can you get and still stay in business? Nero began as a zine from four young editors, but since 2004 Nero has grown both in consideration and distribution. The magazine covers transversal fields of interest - art, cinema, music, contemporary culture, but it's not meant to identify with a particular slice of the market, rather to connect to a certain imaginary. But how do they stay independent as a magazine?

Gallery

Art magazines are a particular entity in the sense that they have all the onus of critical distance but have to depend for advertising on the people they critique. How critical (or honest perhaps) can you get and still stay in business?

1 2

Mission Guestbook

Leave our agents a comment.

Why Join MINI Space?

Because membership has its privileges, seriously...

·	Get involved in creative competitions & projects
·	Get invited to MINI events & parties
·	Get featured with your creative work and meet other creative people