{
  "id": 19718467,
  "title": "How to Free the Art World From Its Neoliberal Capture",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/how-to-free-the-art-world-from-its-neoliberal-capture",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-12T22:02:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hyperallergic",
    "slug": "hyperallergic",
    "url": "https://hyperallergic.com/how-to-free-the-art-world-from-its-neoliberal-capture/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eleven years ago, Marco Baravalle introduced himself at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, alongside the Gulf Labor Coalition. Together with their autonomous direct-action wing, Global Ultra Luxury Faction (G.U.L.F.), they had been invited by curator Okwui Enwezor to share their research and efforts against migrant worker exploitation in the construction of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. At that time, an artist boycott was underway, direct actions were intensifying, and just a few days prior, on May 1, they had successfully shut down the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.\n\nBaravalle, known as a long-standing researcher, curator, and activist, connected them with a network of autonomous spaces in Venice and Milan. These weren't mere cultural centers; they played a crucial role in collective organizing, resistance, and the creation of alternative worlds. Fast forward to 2026, and Baravalle's book, \"The Battleground of Art: Radical Curating in the Crisis of Neoliberalism,\" serves as a powerful and timely call to action. It builds upon his two decades of experience, presenting what they've dubbed movement-generated theory and practice. This is rooted in the dialectic of doing and knowing, offering insights into the book's primary focus - the neoliberal capture of the art world. But it doesn't stop there. \"The Battleground of Art\" also delves into the histories and practices of abolition and autonomy, presenting viable alternatives.",
  "summary": "In “The Battleground of Art,” curator and activist Marco Baravalle dissects the art establishment's co-optation of radical politics and uplifts the stories of collectives that resist it.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}