To Govern artfully. Linking public art to political participation towards new forms of urban governance

The study considers relational public art as a form of political participation and reflects on the relationships between the models of “projectual citizenship” proposed by artists and the participatory urban governance. The analysis triangulates information gathered through mixed-methods. It is based on a quantitative mapping of 85 Italian artistic projects produced about the political problems of urbanity and a qualitative focus on Sardinian cases. The paper argues that these artistic practices share several characteristics with contemporary forms of collective actions. Moreover, artists perceived their works as effective in transforming the city by looking at “performative” and “interpretative” audiences. Finally, the observed relational public artworks suggest creative models of information, consultation, deliberation, and mobilization in urban settings.