[spectre] net.art.lv exhibition in Riga and catalog presentation

[Rasa Smite]

Hello Spectre!
If you are visiting Riga this week, you are very welcome to visit 
net.art.lv exhibition curated by Raitis Smits and myself, and which 
takes place in kim? / RIXC gallery at Spikeri quartier. At the close 
of exhibition we have also published a catalog, which will be 
presented on Thursday, December 16, at 17.00.
with best regards,
Rasa

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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/

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 Contemporary Arts Project 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 Commnities' 
(at Riga Stradins University).


* Catalog 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, ? 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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