Today at 3:30pm as part of Contemporary Istanbul’s talk series I am talking on the issues related to curating media art in a fine art context. What are the differences between artistic practices in ‘new media’ and those in the traditional fine arts? Although I do not like to use the definition of ‘new media,’ I prefer like Rafael Lozano-Hemmer to use ‘media artists’ and pay homage to Dick Higgins’ intermedia statement, the contemporary use of media technology has created a breed of artists that whilst do not wish to respect the rules of the fine art scene at the same time clamor at its gate in order to be accepted and exhibited.
The discrimination between ‘fine art’ and ‘new media’ is not just a question of technology and reproducibility, but I believe one that is rooted in behavioral approaches. Fine Arts demand hierarchies – rightly or wrongly that is a different argument.
To enter into a playground one has to accept the rules and media artists, coming from an horizontal and dispersed aesthetic practice that refutes rules, clash against the very system in which some of them desire to be admitted.
Successful media practices that have redefined the ‘new media’ practice and have entered with full honors within the fine art world have been developed by the like of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and Olafur Eliasson, who strongly define themselves as artists that use the infinite possibilities of contemporary media.
Fine arts have accepted through time the odd, the extravagant, the socially revolutionary and the plain mad. What they have never accepted or had time for was the practices of those who sought to alter fine arts’ structured hierarchies and financial frameworks.
CI Contemporary Istanbul
15:30 – 16:30 Looking at Curating in New Media Art
New media curators Lanfranco Aceti and Derya Yücel will talk about their experiences, trends as well as the evolution of this medium over the years.
Moderator: Ceren Arkman // Grid, Plug-in
Derya Yücel // New Media Curator
Lanfranco Aceti // New Media Curator
