nettime: WHO NEEDS THE ART WORLD ?

[rna@khm.de (Reclaim Net Art)]

WHO NEEDS THE ART WORLD ?

The past 6 months have seen a huge struggle against the imposition of
the art world in the internet. But the spectre of the gallerist still
haunts us. It poisons our minds, distracts our work and communities,
buries our thoughts beneath a tide of success and recognition. Increased
prosperity for those in the system means more of us distracted by banality. 
The cosy private comfort on the inside offers no relief to
those stranded in the real world on the outside.

In 1994, 90% of internet artists made their own work independently - now the
figure is 9%. The others are curated. It's too dangerous to look at internet art
- because of the boredom. Galleries pump out endless repeats, 
threatening the very existence of creativity on the net. Is
this the medium we want? Do we want more fights over funding, original
pioneers overlooked and their audience stolen, just to fuel the
engine of "career growth"?

CRAP INTERNET ART is not terminal - the antidote is in our hands!

Networks can be places where artists play, the creative watch the world go
by, friends meet - in short, a place of community. In the conventional
art world people are isolated, fighting their way up the system. 
The paranoia of media art scene replaces welcoming and
openness of public colaboration. Reclaiming Net Art is not just about
rejecting gallerists. It is about rediscovering the joys of life without
them.

Do you dream of a scene where depressed artists abandon their ambitions
to join in the net party? Where mail artists are not isolated
diehards, but a force to be reckoned with? Where art isn't
something happening in the gallery, but a game played on
the net? Where success is not marked by lines on the cv
but by numbers of identities? Where no work is exhibited for 
longer than a week, web galleries are ignored and bad art is
deleted? Where creativity is not a grey drip drip of
direction from above but a flash of inspiration from below?

RECLAIM NET ART!

Reclaim Net Art! is a direct action network committed to ending
the rule of the art world. We are FOR spammed, anonymous and invisible (effective!)
art, and AGAINST galleries, curators and the vested interest
they serve. We are not a send-a-donation / get-the-mag / sit-in-your
studio organisation. We are about getting involved and changing
things through our own actions.

If you are interested in taking part in our activities send us your
name and address for our mailing list. 

Reclaim Net Art <rna@khm.de>

20th October 1996


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