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2016 Tag

Publicado originalmente en El Estado Mental, 22 noviembre 2016 captura-de-pantalla-2016-11-20-a-las-12-21-10 Mientras discutíamos de si Madrid o Barcelona, de si las cañas se toman en la barra o en la mesa, el capitalismo volvió a irrumpir a bofetadas en nuestras tertulias. La cuestión inmobiliaria va ganando terreno al debate sobre la atonía cultural de la ciudad, el tedio político o el éxodo a Madrid. La dura realidad se impone. El libre mercado ha llegado al alquiler, a nuestro alquiler. El mercado está revuelto, los contratos se acaban y se imponen las subidas. La arbitrariedad manda y en el mejor de los casos –¡qué suerte!– los incrementos son del 20%, y en el peor hasta del 100%. Es decir, que te busques la vida en otro lado, que nos echan de nuestro barrio.

La exposición ‘Gelatina dura. Historias escamoteadas de los 80’ abierta en el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Barcelona, MACBA, se enmarca en el proyecto de la red de museos L´Internationales, que ha impulsado una revisión de los años 80 en los respectivos contextos de los países integrantes. Comisariada por Teresa Grandas se centra en el relato oficial de esos años, entre 1977 y 1992, en España, cuando, consolidada la democracia, y se mira al futuro obviando cualquier consideración crítica al pasado inmediato, el régimen franquista. Macba, BARCELONA, HASTA EL 19 DE MARZO DE 2017 Infoenpunto La cultura fue utilizada por el Gobierno como un instrumento de promoción para ofrecer la imagen de un país que había superado una dictadura, que había instaurado la democracia y se había vuelto cosmopolita. Y surgen proyectos como la creación del Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía o la feria ARCO en Madrid; el IVAM en Valencia; la transformación urbanística de Barcelona a raíz de los Juegos Olímpicos y la gestación del propio MACBA o la Expo de Sevilla. La exposición ‘Gelatina dura’ no pretende rebatir o rechazar los logros alcanzados, sino que se plantea como un espacio de confrontación de hipótesis, más que como un marco-tesis, esbozando micro-relatos y algunas aproximaciones críticas en un recorrido temático que, lejos de querer ser exhaustivo, lo que se propone es indicar algunas líneas de análisis en un marco complejo que resultan especialmente interesantes, vistas desde el contexto actual.

El alicantino es uno de los participantes de la próxima edición de Documenta, que se celebrará en 2017 entre Kassel y Atenas - Su proyecto contará con artistas falleros y reflexionará sobre el espacio público, a cuenta de la fiesta valenciana

Álex Zahinos | Valencia 13.11.2016 | Levante EMV En abril arrancará Documenta 14, cien días que concentran cinco años y un centenar de artistas de arte contemporáneo en Kassel, Alemania. «Bajo del nombre de Kassel podría poner ´esta es la ciudad de Documenta´», recuerda Daniel García Andújar (Almoradí, 1966) sobre un evento por el que pasarán un millón de visitantes. Él es uno de los elegidos de la próxima edición.

Concha Tejedor.19/09/2016 11:22 Madrid, 19 sep (EFE).- El artista y activista Daniel G. Andújar, seleccionado para la próxima Documenta de Kassel, defiende que el arte puede crear espacios de resistencia frente a un mundo cada más estandarizado. "Goya fue un activista absoluto", ha manifestado a Efe ante la exposición de su última obra en una galería. Después de la retrospectiva el año pasado en el Museo Reina Sofía, Daniel G. Andujar, uno de los mayores representantes en España del llamado "Arte en la Red" que trabaja reutilizando imágenes de internet, presenta en la Galería Casa sin fin hasta el 12 de noviembre su pieza "Trastorno de identidad. Hackeando el cuerpo de los trabajadores. Atlas 01, 2016". Encontramos un panel de imágenes con pedazos del cuerpo humano, un ejercicio de resistencia para "protegernos de un mundo cada vez más controlado, en el que se está perdiendo la heterogeneidad y se están reduciendo los conceptos". "Muchos artistas -dice sobre el debate de arte y política- han sido activistas. Goya es el primer artista moderno europeo en ese sentido de romper márgenes. Está hablando todo el tiempo, incluso en su obra como pintor de corte, de algo que es una actitud política, que no tiene nada que ver con que sea panfletaria, que es muy diferente. Se trata de algo muy contemporáneo, generar espacios de resistencia, que son espacios de libertad".

Daniel G. Andújar inaugura el nuevo espacio de la galería Casa sin Fin y prepara su presencia en Documenta 14

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1960"] Daniel G. Andújar, junto a su obra Trastorno de identidad. JAIME VILLANUEVA[/caption]
"¿No estamos llegando a un sistema de representación absolutamente fascista, donde todo el mundo es exactamente igual? ¿No estamos llegando a esas utopías de ciencia-ficción donde todo es estandarizado y controlado? Ya no por máquinas, sino por nosotros mismos. De alguna manera, estamos construyendo un edificio en el que luego en realidad no nos gusta vivir”. Así habla el artista Daniel G. Andújar (Almoradí, 1966), y de esto habla su último trabajo, Trastorno de identidad. Hackeando el cuerpo de los trabajadores, la pieza con la que la madrileña galería Casa sin Fin inaugura su nuevo espacio (Doctor Fourquet, 8).

Cristina Blanco Carchenilla Formes d'interventions dans l'espace public II Abstract

Dès la fin des années 80, l’artiste, théoricien et activiste espagnol Daniel García Andújar s’approprie de l’espace public –le physique et le virtuel– pour présenter ses projets. Sa démarche vise à provoquer chez le spectateur une réaction sur la démocratie, la politique, les technologies, la culture ou d’autres réalités qui nous entourent. García Andújar défend l’idée d’un espace public comme lieu pluriel, de voix multiples qui ont besoin de la discussion et même de la dispute pour se mettre d’accord sur les modes de vie et d’utilisation des espaces communs.

Introduction Daniel García Andújar (Almoradí, Espagne, 1966) a été très souvent considéré comme l’un des pionniers du net-art en Espagne. Cependant, sa démarche va au-delà des pratiques artistiques sur Internet. L’artiste espagnol développe des projets assez complexes, en utilisant des techniques et des médiums très variés et différents. Il s’intéresse fondamentalement à une méthode de travail collectif  -ses projets sont destinés davantage à un spectateur-utilisateur, pas au spectateur traditionnel. García Andújar se sert principalement des formats et de l’esthétique propre de la communication, particulièrement de la publicité, des médias et d’Internet. Son œuvre est une œuvre très politique. Ses projets font partie d’une vaste entreprise –toujours en cours– qui a pour objet le questionnement chez le spectateur de certaines réalités quotidiennes.  Le terrain où García Andújar matérialise ses idées est l’espace public. Il s’approprie de cet espace comme artiste mais aussi comme activiste. On pourrait penser que ce cet intérêt qui lui a amené à inventer une sorte d’alter ego sous la forme d’entreprise fictive, Technologies To The People™ (créé en 1996). Sous le nom de cette compagnie, l’artiste mène des enquêtes sur des questions politiques, les média de masses ou le propre concept d’espace public. Dans le catalogue de Sistema Operativo, la première exposition rétrospective  consacrée à l’artiste au Musée Reina Sofía de Madrid en 2014, Iris Dressler dédie un texte à la manière dont l’artiste s’approprie de cet espace public. D’après l’analyse de Dressler, Andújar conçoit l’espace public comme scénario politique commun, où le mode de vivre doit être stipulé et fixé en passant par la dissension et la désobéissance.[1] García Andújar s’intéresse alors par un espace public comme lieu de dispute. En citant toujours à Iris Dressler : « […] Un espace public qui satisfasse à tous est toujours lié au contrôle, la manipulation, la corruption ou la commodité. Il faut lutter tous ensemble pour avoir droit à la ville, à la liberté d’expression, à la connaissance, à l’art, etc. »[2]. Dans ce sens, on pourrait rapprocher cette position avec celle du philosophe français Jacques Rancière, qui défend aussi le désaccord et la dissension comme éléments constitutifs du espace politique démocratique. L’un des enjeux de l’œuvre de Daniel García Andújar est donc la réflexion critique sur des promesses de cet espace public –démocratie, liberté, égalité, etc.– promesses qu’il réclame de façon véhémente.  La méthode de García Andújar consiste fondamentalement à fournir au spectateur d’outils, de structures critiques pour qu’il y participe comme acteur actif dans la construction du commun. L’artiste intervient dans l’espace public réel et virtuel -Internet. A travers de la présentation de différents projets réalisés par Andújar dans l’espace public ce texte essayera d’analyser le concept d’espace public défendu par l’artiste ainsi que les résultats issus de ces actions. ESTAMOS VIGILANDO. On vous surveille. 1994 [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="870"]Autocollants distribués dans la rue. On vous surveille (1994) Autocollants distribués dans la rue. On vous surveille (1994)[/caption]

El Museo Reina Sofía tiene hasta 13 versiones diferentes del error más famoso de Internet ¿Qué es el error 404? ¿De dónde viene? ¿A dónde va? David Sarabia Diario.es Corría el año 1992 e Internet estaba aún en pañales. Nada que el W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) no hubiera notado. La versión 0.9 del protocolo HTTP acababa de ser lanzada y entre sus especificaciones estaba la inclusión del 404: Not found. El error se produce "cuando el servidor no ha encontrando ninguna coincidencia con la URL solicitada". ¿Y por qué 404? Según el Consorcio, el primer cuatro tiene que ver con un error del cliente: o no hay nada en la web que buscamos o la hemos introducido mal. El cero es un error sintáctico y el segundo cuatro es el código del error, uno más entre tantos. A saber, por ejemplo: el 403 significa que el acceso a un sitio web está prohibido, el 402 que es necesario pagar por entrar y el 409 que existe un conflicto entre el cliente y el servidor.  Pero el W3C lista muchos más códigos en su web. Sin embargo, hay quien dice que todo partió de la oficina 404 del CERN en Ginebra (Suiza). Aunque fue allí

34 EXERCISES OF FREEDOM September 14­–24, 2016 at Parko Eleftherias Athens Municipality Arts Center You are invited to be part of the Parliament of Bodies documenta 14 public program, hosted in the Athens Municipality Arts Center at Parko Eleftherias in September 2016. What will happen here during ten days of programming is neither a conference nor an exhibition. We have avoided conventional museological names that establish distinctions between talk and performance, theory and action, criticism and art. Instead, we invited forty-five participants to “exercise freedom” within the building, which, not long ago, served as the headquarters of the military police during the dictatorship years. We understand freedom, with Foucault, as neither an individual property nor a natural right, but rather as a practice. We drift in history. There is a space. There are some bodies. There are some voices. But what does it mean to be together, here, now? What can be done? Who and what are made visible? Whose voices can be heard and which remain silent? How can the public sphere be reorganized? In the Parliament of Bodies, you will find neither individual chairs within the building nor a fixed architecture. We avoid positioning the audience as aesthetic visitors or neoliberal consumers. We also reject the democratic fiction of the semicircular amphitheater. We claim—with Oskar Hansen—the political potential of the “open form.” Andreas Angelidakis’s soft architecture consisting of sixty-eight blocks of ruins (the ruins of a democratic parliament?) can be assembled and re-arranged in endless ways, creating multiple and transient architectures for the Parliament of Bodies. You are invited to actively construct this political theater every day, interrogating location, hierarchy, visibility, scale… The 34 Exercises of Freedom aim to write a queer anticolonial symphony of Europe from the 1960s, scripting dialogue and giving visibility to dissident, heterogeneous, and minor narratives. We start by bringing together the radical left tradition with the anti-colonial fight for sovereignty of indigenous movements within Europe. The voice of Antonio Negri­­—one of the founders of the Potere Operaio (Workers’ Power) group in 1969 and member of Autonomia Operaia in Italy—meets the voice of Niillas Somby—the political rights activist fighting for Sámi sovereignty in the north of Norway. Both were accused of different forms of terrorism during the 1970s. Sidestepping the established opposition of dictatorship and democracy, we try to understand the failures of transitioning to democracy within neoliberal regimes, not only in the case of Greece but also in Spain, Argentina, or Chile: how freedom was misunderstood as the free market. Whereas the 1980s are often portrayed as a time of decline for social emancipation movements, one that heralded the arrival of a new democratic consensus within capitalism—replacing ideological opposition with economic growth—anticolonial, feminist, queer, and anti-AIDS fights started to point out the cracks within western hegemonic discourse. Might it be possible to think the Greek notion of eleftheria (freedom) against the capitalist notion of freedom? Progressively during this ten-day dialogue we aim to introduce contemporary languages of resistance, from the Kurdish revolution in Rojava to the queer, transgender, sex-workers’, and migrant voices in Turkey, Greece, Mexico, or Brazil, from contemporary indigenous fights for restitution to new political and artistic practices dedicated to invent new forms of affect, knowledge, and political subjectivity, such as ecosex, queer-indigenism, and radical performativity. Together they draw a different political and poetic map of Europe than the one designed by the European Union. Participants: Adespotes Skiles, AMOQA (Athens Museum of Queer Arts), Andreas Angelidakis, Anna Apostolelli, Contemporary Social History Archives (ASKI), Hawzhin Azeez, Angela Brouskou, Rüzgâr Buşki, Clémentine Deliss, Linnea Dick, Maria F. Dolores, Theatro Domatiou, Bonita Ely, Panayotis Evangelidis, Daniel García Andújar, Macarena Gómez-Barris, Stathis Gourgouris, Irena Haiduk, Jack Halberstam, Candice Hopkins, Regina José Galindo, Chief Robert Joseph, Nelli Kampouri, Vangelis Karamanolakis, Kostis Karpozilos, Kostis Kornetis, Sevval Kılıç, Katerina Labrinou, Quinn Latimer, Prasini Lesvia, Ana Longoni, MiniMaximum ImproVision, Naeem Mohaiemen, Antonio Negri, Gizem Oruç, Neni Panourgía, Anna Papaeti, Jørgen Flindt Pedersen, Paul B. Preciado, Judith Revel, Tasos Sakellaropoulos, Georgia Sagri, Niillas Somby, Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens, Erik Stephensen, Adam Szymczyk, Diana Taylor, Prodromos Tsinikoris, Margarita Tsomou, Eirini Vakalopoulou, Ioanna Vogli, Tina Voreadi, Pantelis Voulgaris, and Sergio Zevallos   *** DEMOS is a space that materially and formally references two extremes of a spectrum that have been constitutive for the construction of Athens. On the one end of the spectrum are the ancient stone steps on the hill Pnyx, a modular typology and meeting place that can be said to have initiated the formation of democracy. On the other end you might find the modernist reinforced concrete frame, an architectural module used to democratize the way Athens was built. The steps on the Pnyx, along with most ancient Greek architecture, were borrowed by the world to form a global typology of spaces of authority such as parliaments, libraries, and courthouses. The reinforced concrete frame, which Greece borrowed from a modernized Europe, represents the anarchic, unauthorized construction that grew to define the Athens we witness today. While the building inhabited by documenta 14 housed the military police headquarters during the reign of the junta, the building behind it was used as a detention and torture facility. Currently it houses the Museum of Anti-dictatorial and Democratic Resistance, which is operated by the Association of Imprisoned and Exiled Resistance Fighters (1967–1974). The building allocated to documenta 14 has been used in recent years as an art venue and public gallery run by the Municipality of Athens. The building is treated as a historical artifact: as the site where democracy reached its lowest point in contemporary Greek history. As the DEMOS modules, inhabited by the Parliament of Bodies, negotiate the parameters of the Public Programs, the building launches into an investigative renovation of its own history. The practical demands of the program, such as the sourcing of natural light and technical repairs to the building, become part of an archaeological process, as the layers of exhibition architecture are peeled away to uncover past identities of the space. DEMOS creates a space as a programmable device with which to negotiate the relation between stage and audience, between performer and participant, between democracy and freedom. Each variation will be a demo for the Parliament of Bodies. Each demo will be “demolished” to make way for the next DEMOS. As the Public Program of d14 unfolds over time, the modules gradually form a language, each variation of the space a new definition of demos (Δήμος). —Andreas Angelidakis   *** 34 EXERCISES OF FREEDOM Program, September 14–24, 2016   Wednesday September 14 (7–11 pm) Introduction by Adam Szymczyk, artistic director, documenta14 Paul B. Preciado, curator of Public Programs, documenta 14 Andreas Angelidakis, architect/artist DEMOCRACY IS NOT FREEDOM. FREEDOM IS A PRACTICE Exercises: #1. Chief Robert Joseph, hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, ambassador for Reconciliation Canada, and a member of the Assembly of First Nations Elders Council, and Linnea Dick, writer, painter, and ceremonialist of Kawakwaka’wakw, Nisga’a and Tsimshian heritage #2. Antonio Negri, political theorist and philosopher #3. Niillas Somby, Sámi political rights activist, journalist, videographer, and photographer #4. Educación cívica / Civic Education Sergio Zevallos, artist   Thursday September 15 (7–11 pm) DEMOCRATIC TRANSITIONS… INTO NEOLIBERALISM Exercises: #5. Freedom as Market Value. Freedom as Practice of Resistance Judith Revel, philosophy professor, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense and member of the scientific committee of the Centre Michel Foucault #6. Memory under Construction: Towards a Public Memory of Torture in Greece Kostis Kornetis, UC3M CONEX-Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of History, Carlos III University, Madrid #7. Your Neighbor’s Son: The Making of a Torturer, Jørgen Flindt Pedersen and Erik Stephensen, Denmark, 1981, 52 min Film screening #8. Soundscapes of Detention: Music and Torture under the Junta (1967–74) Anna Papaeti, independent researcher and musicologist #9. Between Terror and Revelry. Collective Strategies of Resistance during Dictatorships in Argentina and Brazil Ana Longoni, writer, curator, and professor of Art History, Universidad de Buenos Aires #10. DJ set Lies van Born, DJ   Friday September 16 (5:45–11 pm) Εxercises: #11. Torture and Freedom Tour of Athens (5:45–8:45 pm) Collective walk through the city of Athens exploring the historical traces of oppression, violence, and the quest for freedom during the military dictatorship of 1967–74 Tour in Greek Starting point: 5:45 pm at Polytechnion by the Tositsa Street entrance Ending point: Parko Eleftherias Τhe Greek tour is conducted by Vangelis Karamanolakis (historian, University of Athens) and Tasos Sakellaropoulos (historian, head of the Historical Archives, Benaki Museum, Athens) Tour in English Starting point: 6:15 pm at Polytechnion by the Tositsa Street entrance Ending point: Parko Eleftherias The English tour is conducted by Kostis Karpozilos (historian, director of the Contemporary Social History Archives–ASKI, Athens) and Katerina Labrinou (historian, Panteion University, Athens) Meanwhile at the Athens Municipality Art Center, Parko Eleftherias: #12. The Chronicle of the Dictatorship (1967–74), Pantelis Voulgaris, Greece, 37 min Film screening Εpitaph for Democracy (9:30–11 pm) #13. Epitafios II Angela Brouskou – Theatro Domatiou, theater group and MiniMaximum ImproVision, improvisational group of musicians   Saturday September 17 (7 pm)–Sunday, September 18 (10 pm) ARCHITECTURES OF TERROR, VOICES OF RESISTANCE Exercises: #14. Ojo de gusano: Don’t Look Down Regina José Galindo, artist #15. Chronotopes / Dystopic Geometries / Terrifying Geographies Neni Panourgia, anthropologist, visiting associate professor of Anthropology at the New School for Social Research, New York #16. Lingua Tertii Imperii Daniel García Andújar, artist #17. Red Star, Crescent Moon / after Sohail Daulatzai Naeem Mohaiemen, artist #18. This is not the Place. Four Visits to Villa Grimaldi: A Chilean Center for Torture and Detention  Diana Taylor, professor of Performance Studies and Spanish at New York University #19. Attempt. Come Georgia Sagri, artist Note: Visitors can bring along sleeping bags, comfortable clothes, food, and water and may stay in the space for the twenty-four-hour duration of the piece. Smoking is not permitted. A public discussion with Georgia Sagri will follow the completion of the performance on Sunday night.   Tuesday September 20 (7–11 pm) SILENCE AND MASKS South as a State of Mind #7 [documenta 14 #2] Exercises: #20. Transgressive Listening Stathis Gourgouris, professor at the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University, New York #21. Outlawed Social Life Candice Hopkins, citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation, is an independent curator, writer, and curatorial advisor for documenta 14 based in Albuquerque, New Mexico #22. I Owe You Everything Clémentine Deliss, writer and curator, currently curating the Dilijan Art Initiative in Armenia. First act of giving in the series I Owe You Everything, in the presence of Chief Robert Joseph and Linnea Dick I Owe You Everything is a project that chooses and follows a series of contemporary thinkers, poets, and activists who are invited to construct a public “act of giving,” a critical and poetic ritual, in which they give “everything” to the Parliament of Bodies of documenta 14. The acts of giving explore different cultural and political economies such as debt, gift, potlatch, revenge, retribution, promise...   Wednesday September 21 (5–7 pm) STATE VIOLENCE / DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Exercise: #23. Interior Effects as an Outcome of War Workshop with Bonita Ely, artist You are invited to join artist Bonita Ely in a workshop to discuss the ongoing, inter-generational effects of undiagnosed, untreated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffered by family members of returned soldiers. During the workshop, Ely shares her family’s experiences following her father’s return home after the Second World War. The artist has made these often tragic effects of undiagnosed PTSD the focus of her artistic work. Open to up to 20 participants, register at: program@documenta.de.   Thursday September 22 (7–10 pm) THE VIRAL 1980S: DEMOCRACY, NEOLIBERALISM, AIDS Exercise: #24. They Glow in the Dark, Panayotis Evangelidis, Greece, 2013, 69 min, Film screening and discussion with director Panayotis Evangelidis   Friday September 23 (7–11 pm) POST-PORN ACTIVISM AND ECOSEXUAL FREEDOM Exercises: #25. An Evening with Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens and Wet Dreams Water Ritual Annie Sprinkle, activist, artist, and educator and Beth Stephens, ecosexual performance artist, filmmaker, activist, educator, founding director of the E.A.R.T.H. Lab and professor of Art, University of California, Santa Cruz. Together they authored the Ecosex Manifesto. Note: Please bring some water from your home or town/city for the water ritual. Wear the colors of water; aqua, blue, and black. Be costumed, naked, painted, adorned, or as you like. #26. The Waltz of the Dirty Streets Adespotes Skiles, self-organized music and theater collective   Saturday September 24 (7–11 pm) “APARTIDE” TRANSFEMINIST QUEER NIGHT Exercises: Organized in collaboration with AMOQA (Athens Museum of Queer Arts) #27. Decolonizing Memory: Vita Futurities in the Americas Macarena Gómez-Barris, chair of the Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies at Pratt Institute, New York #28. Rojava’s Feminist Revolution Hawzhin Azeez, political theorist and activist, Kurd from south Kurdistan (northern Iraq) #29. Trans*: Bodies and Power in the Age of Transgenderism Jack Halberstam, visiting professor of English and Comparative Literature and Gender Studies at Columbia University, New York #30. #Direnayol (#Resistayol), documentary by Rüzgâr Buşki, Turkey, 2016, 60 min Film premiere #31.Voices of Trans and Queer Politics in the Mediterranean with: Rüzgâr Buşki, multimedia artist and producer, member of Kanka Productions Gizem Oruç, musician, producer, and multimedia artist, member of Kanka Productions Şevval Kılıç, sex worker, queer and trans activist working in Istanbul Nelli Kampouri, gender scholar, Centre for Gender Studies, Panteion University Athens Margarita Tsomou, author, publisher, dramaturge, and curator based in Berlin Maria Mitsopoulou aka Maria F. Dolores, visual artist and performer, AMOQA (Athens Museum of Queer Arts) Anna Apostolelli, activist, currently a member of Beaver, a women’s co-op café in Athens, AMOQA (Athens Museum of Queer Arts) Tina Voreadi, visual artist and educator, AMOQA (Athens Museum of Queer Arts) #32. Queer Indie Gig Exercise of FreedomHTH Green to Blue Shock Treatment Prasini Lesvia, musician #33. DJ set Gizem Oruç, musician #34. The Epic of Eleftheria Irena Haiduk, artist and Eirini Vakalopoulou, writer and poet     General dramaturgy for the Exercises of Freedom: Prodromos Tsinikoris, artistic co-director of Experimental Stage -1 of the National Theatre, Athens.   Image: Athens Municipality Arts Center Parko Eleftherias DEMOS, Andreas Angelidakis, installation, 2016, dimensions variable. Photo: Stathis Mamalakis    
PUBLIC PROGRAMSPosted on 06.09.2016

Interview with Daniel G. Andújar

Geert Lovink April 26, 2016 interview 5.029 words In April 2015 I had the honour to receive a private tour by the Spanish artist Daniel G. Andújar of his solo show, Operating System, at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.1 I know Daniel from the net.art days of 1996–1997 when he was running Technologies To The People® (TTTP) (1996), a work shared in Operating System. All these months later, as the works in the show stayed with me, I decided to contact Daniel and request an e-mail interview with him. What I appreciate in his work is the natural way in which his ‘new media arts’ background is woven into the broader visual arts context of a large museum such as Reina Sofía. The show brought together the real thing and its virtual double – as if the two have never been at odds. Operating System offered a mix of many things, such as playful net.art, a dark, hacker space installation, journalism investigating real estate projects (from the pre-2008 boom years), a colourful room filled with manipulated versions of political celebrity posters and an art historical investigation into Pablo Picasso. The exhibition seemed to find the ‘tactical’ equilibrium so many people have thrived on and thirsted for. When we have all moved on to become post-digital, where ‘analogue is the new digital,’ then why should we continue to marginalize those who experiment with the ‘new material’ in an evermore ironic fashion? It is time for the Great Synthesis. The historical compromise is there. Everyone prepares for the first post-digital Venice Biennale in 2017. Let’s enjoy the delicate mix between technology, politics and aesthetics in such a way that none of the three dominate, and let Andújar be our guide.