Riga Photography Biennale to discuss the role of the Internet and new technologies in contemporary art / Article / LSM.lv

On September 18, the exhibition hall “Riga Art Space” will take place Riga Photography Biennale 2020 discussion “Visions of the Future” with the aim to analyze what opportunities and challenges not only in terms of content, but also formally the Internet and new technologies have provided for contemporary art strategies so far, and what the future of the Biennale told us. –

The discussion is organized as part of the central event of the Riga Photography Biennale 2020 – the exhibition “Screen Age II: Landscape”, and will be attended by art scientist and curator Šelda Puķīte, multimedia artists Santa France and Līga Spunde, as well as playwright Evarts Melnalksnis. Discussion moderator – curator and art researcher Līna Birzaka-Priekule. Entrance from 17.40 – free of charge.

The organizers of the Biennale explained that in the last decade the concept of the post-internet has been frequently present in contemporary art exhibitions and theoretical articles. One of the first to use this concept in contemporary art discourse was media theorist and artist Marisa Olson. She attributed it to art that could not exist before the Internet (technologically, phenomenologically, existentially) and which in its form had some influence from the Internet. “Reflecting on the impact of the Internet on human life in all its aspects, post-Internet art uses both online and offline media. On the one hand, the Internet has given way to marginalized voices and communities, but on the other hand, it has provided a platform for thriving extremist views, conspiracy theories and half-truths, ”the event organizers said.

One of the most common manifestations of so-called post-internet art, especially in new media art, is the creation of virtual fantastic realities and spaces. The artists create unique worlds of meanings and forms, as well as hybrid and ironic parodies, playing with well-known symbols and instruments. It is also often a critique of today’s socio-political reality and interpretive speculations about the future of the world or escapism.

By sharing observations and analyzing their own creative practices, the participants of the conversation will try to identify the most current post-Internet phenomena in the contemporary cultural space of Latvia.

The discussion is organized by: Riga Photography Biennale in cooperation with the exhibition hall of the Association of Cultural Institutions of Riga Municipality “Riga Art Space”. Curator: Elīna Ķempele.

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