Whitehot Magazine
"The Best Art In The World"
┬®Toscani_bacio
By MANUELA ANNAMARIA ACCINNO November 11, 2024
The dichotomy between sacred and profane has always represented a fundamental tension in human experience, a conflict that is particularly acute in contemporary society. If we consider Ludwig Feuerbach's quote, ‘For theology, only what is sacred is true, for philosophy only what is true is sacred’, we can discern fertile ground for reflection that must confront the existential challenges of our time. The sacred, understood as the set of practices, beliefs and symbols that give meaning and direction to life, seems somewhat obscured by a society that values the ephemeral, consumerism and individualism. In the light of technological and scientific advances, many find themselves disoriented, unable to transmit shared values that can give lasting meaning to their existence. The search for authenticity, for a true ‘sacred’, thus becomes an imperative, a desire for transcendence that struggles to find its expression in the frenzy of everyday life. On the other hand, religious traditions trying to preserve the sacred, often fall into rigidities that do not dialogue with contemporary questions. In this borderline situation, man finds himself at a crossroads: on the one hand, there is the call for a truth that can give a fulfilled meaning to life and fill the existential void; on the other hand, there is the search for a truth that is not just a re-proposition of dogmas, but that arises from critical reflection and confrontation with the changing world.
┬® OlivieroToscani_1989
Oliviero Toscani is undoubtedly one of the most representative and discussed figures of contemporary photography. His visual research lies at the crossroads between art and social criticism, pushing well beyond the boundaries of mere aesthetics to address uncomfortable and provocative issues. But who really is the desecrator? According to the most common definition, it is he who acts in an irreverent and critical manner towards what, by tradition or conformism, is considered untouchable. Toscani, in this sense, does not merely break taboos; on the contrary, he exposes them, questions them. In a society that tends to consecrate consumption, appearance and superficial values, Toscani's strong and provocative images seem to clash with a reality that is nothing more than a façade. He highlights how, paradoxically, everything that is rejected through his lens is, in effect, elevated to a kind of sacredness by contemporary society. The rejection of conventional beauty, of the rhetoric of well-being, of the standardized ideal of happiness, thus becomes a sacred fact in an age that feeds on dissatisfaction and illusions. With his lens, Toscani succeeds in revealing the raw and ambiguously multifaceted truth of a world where aesthetics is confused with propaganda, where social conditioning shapes our perceptions to the point of legitimizing what would be considered intolerable in nature.
┬®Toscani_Anorexia
The advertising campaigns for brands such as Benetton, famous for its bold and provocative approach, are characterized by their ability to address burning social issues, succeeding in pushing the public to a critical reflection: how does our culture allow certain values to be elevated to symbols of veneration, when in reality they are nothing more than manifestations of power and control? Who are the real sacrileges in a society that venerates image at the expense of authenticity?
┬®Toscani_Soldato
Each photograph becomes a fierce critique of a culture that often prefers to look the other way, accepting conformism as if it were a sacred norm. In this way, the photographer not only desecrates, but invites us to reconsider the original value of the images and messages that surround us. His work teaches us that in order to see the truth, we must first accept that nothing is untouchable, and that our certainties can, and must, be continually questioned. WM
Manuela Annamaria Accinno, born and raised in Milan, is an art historian and critic with a degree from the University of Milan. She has been actively collaborating for several years with radio stations and magazines specializing in the field of art.
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