Hi Laura,
Thanks for posting this to netbehaviour. I will read it tomorrow morning
when I am more awake ;-)
wishing you well.
marc
Personally, I suggest a revision around questions such as ethics,
deontological code, professionalism, permission and authority in
curatorial models and participatory practices in art, science and
technology. Regarding the curating model used in the exhibition
Digital Analogue: this is not what I do, this is not my curatorial
line, this is not my work, and this is not curated by me. Actually,
the participatory models of curating new media art have created new
structures where to engage curators, theorist and artists in a hybrid
form of exhibition, workshop, and live performance. Models that are
constantly against the mainstream and the policies of power supported
by authority and based within the ego of the artists: elitism and
paternalism. Another point to consider is that the exhibition Digital
Analogue has a lack of investigation, the research is weak, doesn't
achieve the standards of the experienced d.i.y. artists, the art
electronic avant-garde and the art --science -- technology experts,
curators and artists. There is a lack of coherence, strength and
unity. Although is a very good local exhibition and a potential
project for the future, it is a very paternalist project, too. Tired,
exhausted and discomforted to defend machismo, it is criticized works
like this.
Once surpassed the borders of curatorial mainstream inside the
whitecube, those who work worldly local and with deep meaning for life
and social contribution, are hard-working and developing networks with
very low budgets and financial support. Art inside the whitecube is
now out of the center of action, operating in labs, blackboxes and
within the experiences of life. So, following it can be said that the
exhibition has not gone so good. There is lack of professionalism and
it deceives.
Moreover, I must say that a few years ago, in 2011, I wrote an
investigation project entitled Language Code. In collaboration with
CED -- MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona, I studied the relat
ions of conceptual art and code art. I did a similar work as Thomas
Dreher does. Once the research was finished, I asked permission to
international artists, local artists from Barcelona, activists and
other theorists, curators and producers to work in a public
presentation of the Project. The event was one week and hold in
Conservas, an underground lab in Barcelona. I was trying to break
conventional models of exhibition. It was a workshop, a seminar, an
exhibition and a live event with screenings and performance. It also
engaged the audiences to participate to create a language artwork
based in cut-up projects. Jorn Ebner, Michael Kargl, Roy Ascott, John
Angel were presented in Language Code exhibition among a total number
of 20 artist more. Part of my research project Language Code has been
presented in MAC Museum of Contemporary Art Bogota. According
methodologies of curating, there is a new curatorial role based in
appropriation. It creates new exhibition strategies. Taking art ists'
works without permission or non-demanding artist participation is
changing the administrative model of exhibition. Contracts,
infrastructure and participation offer a new possibility to engage
creation and hopefully create more opportunities for emergent and
youth talented unnamed artists.
Regarding the content of the exhibition, there are 6 artists
exhibiting physical artworks, 3 local artists and 3 international
artists. There are no women. The use of big mainstream artists' names
is trying to attract expectations, a suggestive intention, when is in
reality a screening loop. There is an excellent point and is the fact
that the exhibition offers help and support to local artist to be
contextualized in international frameworks. In general, local emergent
talented artists from Colombia are not well represented in their own
art circuit, neither in the international art scene. This is part of
the post-colonial history. Although this, there is a lack and a very
disappointed participation of the real pioneers of new media from
Colombia. Pedro Soler states "A pair of my favorite South American
pioneers: Juan Downey (from Chile, pioneer of video and interactive
art, co-editor of Radical Software) and Jacqueline Nova, the first
electroacoustic music composer in Colombi a. Both artists lived much
of their lives in the north (Juan in NYC and Jacqueline in Paris).
However, they are both dead". The title of the exhibition "Pioneers"
does not correspond to the achieved goals. It cannot be said that is a
pioneer's exhibition. This is not the case. There are specialized
media art historians that will recognize that this is wick and a
misunderstanding. "Edward Shanken comes to mind. And in my own
University, historian Charissa Terrranova" says Roger Malina.
There is a no women artists; pioneers or not, too. Marc Garret
indicates some "Sarah Cook, Alison Craighead, Donna Haraway, Sadie
Plant, Vera Molnar, Steina Vasulka, Joan Jonas, Marisa Olson, Pauline
Oliveros, Christiane Paul, Laurie Anderson, Josephine Bosma, Ada
Lovelace, Judith Butler, Olia Lialina, Natalie Jeremijenko, Coco
Fusco, Ghislaine Boddington, Guerilla Girls, Ilze Black, Larisa
Blazic, Daphne Dragona, Mia Makela, Sanja Ivekovic, Eva and Franco
Mattes, Joasia Krysa, Valie Export, Charlotte Moorman, Lygia Clark,
Yoko Ono, E.Valldosera, La Turbo Avedon, Fabi Borges, Alejandra Perez,
Eleonora Oreggia, Simona Levy, Diana McCarty, Maria Llopis, Marloes de
Valk, Shu Lea Cheang, Chris Sugrue, Paula Graham (Fossbox), Ruth
Catlow (Furtherfield), Flossie". This is an important failure. This is
unacceptable in the context of electronic, new media, and within the
frame of cyberfeminism. Women artist has contributed to the
development of media art in a very deep and profound se nse, changing
structures and contributing to the social benefit of human behavior.
This is a strong point. Some relevant data regarding feminism
practices in art curating represent the problem about women in art.
Only the 13.5% of works by women are in Art Collections, 18% of female
professors at Art Universities, 22% of female directors at Art
Museums, 27% average of female percentage at exhibitions in art
museums, 32% of honorary prizes in the visual arts are won by women,
42% of all freelance employees in the visual arts are women, 55% of
students in the visual arts are women (Data by Katy Deepwell, Editor
of n.paradoxa).
There is a sense that the use of "big names" in the section s/edition
is like an attractive suggestion rather than a matter of history,
knowledge or information. Rather, I think the curator is trying to
persuade, giving an illusion of history of media art. I think this is
a more commercial and digital project. I think this is what exactly
Baudrillard defined as Simulacra and the tendency in consumerism
object to persuade the spectator. I have received many complains and
it is thought that is a very paternalist project. And it does not
consider the social and actual needs of its country. Marc Garret also
commented "On one hand it's because the choice of 'now' disreputable
'BritArt' artists, and on the other, it's because there is an
embarrassing lack of women included in the exhibition. It is not
representative of the amazing women in arts and technology who deserve
so much better than this". Contrary to these opinions, it is really
well received the local collabor ation. The artists have a really
talented work in exhibition and the effort and fight with the
institutional frame and universities grow and enrich the cultural
context of Bogota, an incredible city with massive social disorder and
inequalities. Is very important and is a really good to exhibit 3
local artists altogether 3 international artists, this contributes to
the development of cultural practices of Colombia, increases the level
of participation and interested of institutions into Electronic Art
and for New Media practices. It also helps to the emergent artists
with good level, quality, interest and professionalism.
According this, I have to say that it is super-interesting and thanks
to this kind of exhibitions, new models of distributing video- art are
developed. It could probably respond to new distribution roles and
methodologies of production in New Media. Surely, it changes
capitalist and economic structures. I remember the editions of Picasso
and Dali: thousands of copies resembled millions of millions and
investment for art. The videos presented under s/edition are works
from Damien Hirst, Casey Reas, Memo Atken, etc... Recently, Alessandro
Ludovico has written about new techniques of printing and
distributing. This is amazing, but in the case of Digital Analogue and
s/edition, a private company that works online. The selection doesn't
result interesting because, from my point of view, is supporting
commercial and capitalist structures of art as a merchandise.
According post-marxist discourse it can damage lots of theoretical
works done in the area of value and object-hood in contem porary art.
Claiming for live art and live performance is to sustain our way of
life as artists, developers and creators.
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Bogotá
@2009 BOGOTÁ - COLOMBIA
Carrera 74 No. 82A - 81 2916520 Exts: 6160 - 6161 -6159
email: [email protected] http://www.mac.org.co/
Thanks to Marc Garret, Pedro Soler, Tamas Banovich, Anick Bureaud,
Ashok Mistry, Bronac Ferran, Sarah Cook, Paul Brown, Roger Malina,
Ghislaine Boddington, Vicente Matallana, Joasya Krysa, Andres Burbano.
--laura pearl
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