Following an invitation of the Grupo de estudos em práticas artísticas, espacialidade e ciências da vida at the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (Brazil), I taught between August 21st and 23rd a course on Art, New Media and the Art Market. Resulting from my ongoing PhD research, this course has presented an overview of the current encounters (and controversies) between the new media art and mainstream contemporary art worlds, an analysis of the mechanism of recognition of the work of artists working with new media, and several case studies of recent initiatives in which the mainstream art market has integrated digital culture.
Below is a presentation of the course and the syllabus.
OWNED OR ONLINE. ART, NEW MEDIA AND THE ART MARKET
Pau Waelder
Art critic, curator and researcher
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Duration: 15 hours, divided into 3 sessions, 5 hours long each.
Addressed to: postgraduate students in art and digital culture.
Language: English
Methodology: presentation of the contents with examples in different media, in an ongoing dialogue with the students. The students will be encouraged to not only listen, but also discuss the subjects, express their opinions and engage in a conversation with the lecturer and classmates.
This course addresses the current interactions among new media art and the contemporary art market in the context of a society that is increasingly aware of the impact that digital technologies are having in our lives. Grouped under the umbrella term new media art, a myriad of different forms of artistic creation have been identified as pertaining to a different kind of art, partly independent and partly marginalized from mainstream contemporary art. New media art has evolved during the 1990s and early 2000s in a context of experimentation and informal presentation (in festivals and media labs) that have set it apart from most of the mainstream art world. It has, therefore, experienced a lack of recognition in mainstream art discourses that has lead many artists to be interested in integrating their practice in the art market, both as a path to validation and as a means of sustaining their careers. Meanwhile, the contemporary art market has slowly but progressively adopted new media into its structure, mainly as a channel of distribution of artworks and usually ignoring the aesthetic and technical innovations introduced by new media art.
Why is there a gap between new media art and the contemporary art world? How is new media art being introduced in the structures of the mainstream art world? Are new media artists interested in the art market? What does it imply for new media art to be integrated into the art market? And what does it mean for the art market to adopt new media (art)? These and other issues will be discussed using examples from actual artistic practices and case studies related to the curator’s professional experience.
WHEN (ART)WORLDS COLLIDE
Introduction: what is new media art?
How new media art created its own art world
The art of the future
Digital divides: controversies and blind spots
Is it postmedia already?
THE ARTISTS’ PERSPECTIVE
Patterns of recognition
Are we new media artists?
Career options: academy, advertising and the art market
THE ELUSIVE (ONLINE) MARKET
Net art and the art market
Strategies for selling network-based art
Digital art galleries and black boxes
The contemporary art market goes online
CURATING AND PRESERVING NEW MEDIA ART
On media-specific exhibitions
New media art and the public
Curating what, how and what curating is
Preservation vs. Programmed obsolescence
Por invitación del Grupo de estudos em práticas artísticas, espacialidade e ciências da vida de la Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (Brasil), he impartido del 21 al 23 de agosto un curso sobre Arte, nuevos medios y el mercado del arte. Fruto de mi actual investigación de doctorado, este curso ha presentado un estado de la cuestión en el encuentro (y desencuentro) entre los mundos del arte de nuevos medios y el arte contemporáneo, un análisis de los mecanismos de reconocimiento del trabajo del artista vinculado a las prácticas de arte y nuevos medios, y una serie de estudios de caso de iniciativas actuales en las que el mercado del arte contemporáneo se interna en la cultura digital.
A continuación se reproduce el texto de presentación del curso y el temario (en inglés).
OWNED OR ONLINE. ART, NEW MEDIA AND THE ART MARKET
Pau Waelder
Art critic, curator and researcher
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Duration: 15 hours, divided into 3 sessions, 5 hours long each.
Addressed to: postgraduate students in art and digital culture.
Language: English
Methodology: presentation of the contents with examples in different media, in an ongoing dialogue with the students. The students will be encouraged to not only listen, but also discuss the subjects, express their opinions and engage in a conversation with the lecturer and classmates.
This course addresses the current interactions among new media art and the contemporary art market in the context of a society that is increasingly aware of the impact that digital technologies are having in our lives. Grouped under the umbrella term new media art, a myriad of different forms of artistic creation have been identified as pertaining to a different kind of art, partly independent and partly marginalized from mainstream contemporary art. New media art has evolved during the 1990s and early 2000s in a context of experimentation and informal presentation (in festivals and media labs) that have set it apart from most of the mainstream art world. It has, therefore, experienced a lack of recognition in mainstream art discourses that has lead many artists to be interested in integrating their practice in the art market, both as a path to validation and as a means of sustaining their careers. Meanwhile, the contemporary art market has slowly but progressively adopted new media into its structure, mainly as a channel of distribution of artworks and usually ignoring the aesthetic and technical innovations introduced by new media art.
Why is there a gap between new media art and the contemporary art world? How is new media art being introduced in the structures of the mainstream art world? Are new media artists interested in the art market? What does it imply for new media art to be integrated into the art market? And what does it mean for the art market to adopt new media (art)? These and other issues will be discussed using examples from actual artistic practices and case studies related to the curator’s professional experience.
WHEN (ART)WORLDS COLLIDE
Introduction: what is new media art?
How new media art created its own art world
The art of the future
Digital divides: controversies and blind spots
Is it postmedia already?
THE ARTISTS’ PERSPECTIVE
Patterns of recognition
Are we new media artists?
Career options: academy, advertising and the art market
THE ELUSIVE (ONLINE) MARKET
Net art and the art market
Strategies for selling network-based art
Digital art galleries and black boxes
The contemporary art market goes online
CURATING AND PRESERVING NEW MEDIA ART
On media-specific exhibitions
New media art and the public
Curating what, how and what curating is
Preservation vs. Programmed obsolescence
Per invitació del Grupo de estudos em práticas artísticas, espacialidade e ciências da vida de la Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (Brasil), he impartit del 21 al 23 d’agost un curs sobre Art, nous mitjans i el mercat de l’art. Fruit de la meva actual investigació de doctorat, aquest curs ha presentat un estat de la qüestió dels encontres (i desencontres) entre els mons de l’art de nous mitjans i l’art contemporani, una anàlisi dels mecanismes de reconeixement del treball de l’artista vinculat a les pràctiques d’art i nous mitjans, i una sèrie d’estudis de cas d’iniciatives actuals en les quals el mercat de l’art contemporani s’interna en la cultura digital.
A continuació es reprodueix el text de presentació del curs i el temari (en anglès).
OWNED OR ONLINE. ART, NEW MEDIA AND THE ART MARKET
Pau Waelder
Art critic, curator and researcher
Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC)
Duration: 15 hours, divided into 3 sessions, 5 hours long each.
Addressed to: postgraduate students in art and digital culture.
Language: English
Methodology: presentation of the contents with examples in different media, in an ongoing dialogue with the students. The students will be encouraged to not only listen, but also discuss the subjects, express their opinions and engage in a conversation with the lecturer and classmates.
This course addresses the current interactions among new media art and the contemporary art market in the context of a society that is increasingly aware of the impact that digital technologies are having in our lives. Grouped under the umbrella term new media art, a myriad of different forms of artistic creation have been identified as pertaining to a different kind of art, partly independent and partly marginalized from mainstream contemporary art. New media art has evolved during the 1990s and early 2000s in a context of experimentation and informal presentation (in festivals and media labs) that have set it apart from most of the mainstream art world. It has, therefore, experienced a lack of recognition in mainstream art discourses that has lead many artists to be interested in integrating their practice in the art market, both as a path to validation and as a means of sustaining their careers. Meanwhile, the contemporary art market has slowly but progressively adopted new media into its structure, mainly as a channel of distribution of artworks and usually ignoring the aesthetic and technical innovations introduced by new media art.
Why is there a gap between new media art and the contemporary art world? How is new media art being introduced in the structures of the mainstream art world? Are new media artists interested in the art market? What does it imply for new media art to be integrated into the art market? And what does it mean for the art market to adopt new media (art)? These and other issues will be discussed using examples from actual artistic practices and case studies related to the curator’s professional experience.
WHEN (ART)WORLDS COLLIDE
Introduction: what is new media art?
How new media art created its own art world
The art of the future
Digital divides: controversies and blind spots
Is it postmedia already?
THE ARTISTS’ PERSPECTIVE
Patterns of recognition
Are we new media artists?
Career options: academy, advertising and the art market
THE ELUSIVE (ONLINE) MARKET
Net art and the art market
Strategies for selling network-based art
Digital art galleries and black boxes
The contemporary art market goes online
CURATING AND PRESERVING NEW MEDIA ART
On media-specific exhibitions
New media art and the public
Curating what, how and what curating is
Preservation vs. Programmed obsolescence