Fabio Mauri as Philosopher

Abstract

This essay explores the intellectual legacy of Fabio Mauri, proposing a rigorous "technical" reassessment of the artist as a philosopher. By analyzing Mauri’s extensive writings and seminal works, the author identifies five distinct philosophical branches—history, politics, meta-philosophy, language, and art—arguing that Mauri’s methodology aligns him with the prominent figures of late 20th-century Italian thought. Central to this analysis is the tension between ideology and form, and the transition from the "saying" of philosophy to the "showing" of avant-garde art. The text delves into Mauri's engagement with Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein, particularly regarding the "German question" and the impossibility of traditional thought after Auschwitz. Furthermore, it examines Mauri’s early 21st-century reflections on anthropocentrism, the "apocalypse" of the European spirit, and the museum as a crystallized site of Hegelian reason. Ultimately, the essay characterizes Mauri’s philosophy as an "Aesthetics of Experimentation"—a diacritic, autobiographical, and phenomenal approach where art functions as a "regime of truth" capable of deconstructing the linguistic and ideological ownership of the world.