[1] Under the influence of Maurice Blanchot and Jean-Luc Nancy he has published many essays on philosophy, as well as literature.

[3] More recently, he has focused on the ontological state of the image, the deconstruction of the museum in postmodernity, and the question of art and/or in time.

[4][5] In 2011 he theorized the aesthetics of "Arte Essenziale", which manifested itself in the show held at Collezione Maramotti (Reggio Emilia, Italy) and at Frankfurter Kunstverein (Germany).

[6] Eugenio Viola writes of Ferrari, "In a time when many continue to lament what they see as the inexorable decline of theory’s role in criticism, "Arte essenziale" (Essential Art), curated by philosopher Federico Ferrari, does its part to placate concerns with an exploration of the ties that link artistic practice and philosophical speculation.

The show focuses on the Wesen, or essence, of a work of art—a notion that has always been inextricably linked with a search for the new.