<nettime> WE ARE ON THE NET. net.art.lv exhibiton in Riga, Latvia

[Agnese Baranova <agnese@rixc.lv>]

WE ARE ON THE NET

net.art.lv exhibition
Works from RIXC.LV server archive
November 5 – December 19, 2010, Riga, Latvia

Pictures from exhibition: http://rixc.lv/projects/netart/photo.html
Exhibition info: http://rixc.lv/projects/netart/
Attached: Exhibition press release; photo of the catalogue cover; photo
of one of the exhibition artist's work - Oskars Poikans "Metastream", 2000

In the framework of the exhibition The Centre for New Media Culture RIXC
recently published Latvian net.art catalogue “WE ARE ON THE NET.
net.art.lv”.

The net.art.lv exhibition WE ARE ON THE NET _ net.art.lv for the first
time has gathered and exhibited the early Internet art works created by
nowadays well known Latvian artists. The exhibited art works are a part
of Latvian Electronic Arts Archive developed by RIXC with the support of
Latvian Ministry of Culture. The Archive is developed on a base of the
content of RIXC.LV (former re-lab.net) server that has hosted and
maintained these early net.art projects since 1997.

Exhibition WE ARE ON THE NET _ net.art.lv displays a part of the
collected and reconstructed art works created between the mid 1990s
until the beginning of the 21st century. 'Reconstruction' in this
exhibition also means adjusting earlier artworks to contemporary
technological standards, while maintaining their visual appearance and
restoring their functionality.

WE ARE ON THE NET _ net.art.lv exhibition features works by Latvian
artists Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, Martins Ratniks, Janis Garancs,
Kristine Kursisa, Miks Mitrevics, Girts Korps, Arvids Alksnis, Reinis
Petersons, Janis Avotins, Oskars Poikans, Peteris Kimelis and others.


* Conceptual background:

NINETIES. WE ARE ON THE NET – WE ARE THE NET.
By curators Raitis Smits and Rasa Smite.

The Internet developed rapidly in the mid 1990s providing not only new
technical possibilities for creating artworks but also facilitating new
forms of self-expression and established preconditions for creation of
conceptually new space. Virtuality and immateriality of the electronic
world first and foremost inspired and united artists for whom it was not
so important to produce things but to make connections.

With an idea of free flowing concepts, collaboratively created content,
free floating locations, the electronic arts laboratory E-Lab (now RIXC)
and its server re-lab.net (rixc.lv), were established in Riga, Latvia,
in 1996. The most active artists, DJs and musicians, poets and other
creative minded people from younger generation at that time gathered
around E-Lab interested to explore the new medium – the Internet. Along
projects produced by E-Lab, since 1997 re-lab.net/rixc.lv server also
hosts net.art works and creative net projects produced by other Latvian
artists.

In a way new media works have realised the old avant-gardist vision of
immateriality. Nevertheless the Internet has most probably made it even
harder to store these works, if compared with contemporary art
installations or video art. One of the main challenges is the rapid
development of digital technologies and thus accordingly – ageing of
previous technologies which endanger existence and maintenance of
electronic art works in longer periods of time.

Furthermore net.art is often created in collective experiments
considering the process of creation as the most important part and
giving the result little attention. Therefore this exhibition poses
challenges on how to display the process of creation or happening as
well as the social context of archived art works and how to transform
online art works into exhibition format.


* Exhibition info:

Exibition open November 5 – December 19, 2010.
kim? / RIXC gallery, Spikeri (Maskavas Street 12/1), Riga, Latvia.
Entrance free.

Opening hours: Mon., Tue: closed, Wed.: 14:00 – 19:00, Thu.: 14:00 –
20:00, Fri.: 14:00 – 19:00, Sat., Sun.: 12:00 – 17:00

Curators: Raitis Smits, Rasa Smite
Scenography: Rudolf Bekic, Raitis Smits
Design: Martins Ratniks
Technical solutions: Davis Bojars, Raitis Smits
Producers' team: RIXC – Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, Daina Silina, Agnese
Baranova, Linda Vebere
Exhibition is produced by RIXC, the Centre for New Media Culture in
cooperation with the Association “kim?”

The exhibition takes place in the framework of RIXC's project 'Latvian
electronic art archive and public accessibility' supported by Ministry
of Culture in Latvia. The research on Latvian net.art works and
networked projects that forms the bases of exhibition, is a part of
scientific research project “Electronic arts archiving” in Art Research
Lab (MPLab.lv) of Liepaja University. The research is also a part of PhD
thesis by Raitis Smits 'Maintenance and representation problematic of
new media art' (at the Latvian Academy of Arts) and PhD thesis by Rasa
Smite 'Creative Network Communities' (at Riga Stradins University).


* Catalogue info:

WE ARE ON THE NET / net.art.lv
Editors: Raitis Smits, Rasa Smite
Design: Martins Ratniks
Publisher: RIXC, the Centre for New Media Culture in Riga, 2010
Languages: Latvian and English, 72 pages
ISBN 9984-9538-9-0


* Support:

Ministry of Culture in Latvia, State Cultural Capital Foundation in
Latvia, EEA Financial Mechanism, Norwegian Financial Mechanism,
Department of Visual Communication in Art Academy of Latvia
Media support:
ir, ¼ Satori, Easyget.lv, Kultura.lv, Another Travel Guide, Maksla Plus,
Live Riga


* Acknowledgments:

Inke Arns (for the inspiration while curating the irational.org
exhibition in Dortmund); to all who have participated in E-LAB, Ozone
and RIXC projects; and who have helped with producing exhibition: Laila
Baumane, Aldis Bondars, Juris Smirnovs, Ojars Petersons, Mikelis Putrams.

* Contacts:

RIXC, the Centre for New Media Culture
11. Novembra krastmala 35-201, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia
E-mail:<2010 (at) rixc.lv>
Ph: +371 67228478 (office)
Raitis Smits<raitis (at) rixc.lv>, +371 29401004
Rasa Smite<rasa (at) rixc.lv>, +371 26546776

http://rixc.lv
http://twitter.com/rixcriga
http://kim.lv




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