From sideshow to sublime

Mrongovius and Recht, Unfurl

“Step through the looking glass”, says the Vanishing Point press release, offering us a role as a latterday Alice in worlds conjured by new media art in Experimenta’s latest show. The digital revolution in the hands of artists has generated a new sense of amazement, of awe and the uncanny—from sideshow to sublime. It’s entertaining, sometimes hands-on, with a thin dividing line between arcade game and serious artwork. What’s more it’s art that draws on the very technology that ennables and haunts our everyday lives.

After the success of its touring exhibition, House of Tomorrow, which featured mostly Australian artists, Experimenta presents in Vanishing Point, an international collection of new media artworks, a cinema program, and, direct from Paris, Festival Némo, France’s audio-visual festival of short innovative European screen works. As well there’s Aural Gazing, an immersive collection of solo and collaborative works from Japan.

The international artists in Vanishing Point are Ji-Hoon Byun (Korea), Wu Chi-Tsung (Taiwan), Shelley Eshkar, Paul Kaiser (USA), Julie C. Fortier (France), Luke Jerram (UK), William Kentridge (South Africa), Julien Maire (France), Minim++ (Motoshi Chikamori, Kyoko Kunoh), (Japan), Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba (Japan/Vietnam/USA), Junebum Park (Korea), Hiraki Sawa (Japan/UK), Lee se-jung (Korea), William Wegman (USA), and Yang Zhenzhong (China).

South Korea has embraced new media art with a passion. Ji-Hoon Byun’s Duk-eum was a highlight in MAAP04 in Singapore (RT64 p27). Don’t miss the opportunity to play with its waterfall of light. Junebum Park’s droll short video fanatasies have been amusing visitors to the ACP’s Mirror Worlds (see p37).

The strong line-up of Australian innovators includes Stephen Barrass, Chris Gunn ; Penny Cain; Tim Costello, James Robison with HitLab (NZ); Daniel Crooks; Alex Davies; Leslie Eastman, Natasha Johns-Messenger; Shaun Gladwell; David Haines, Joyce Hinterding; John Howland; David MacLeod, Narinda Reeders; Martina Mrongovius, Sruli Recht; Daniel Von Sturmer; and Craig Walsh. RT

Experimenta, Vanishing Point, BlackBox, the Arts Centre; Margaret Lawrence Galleries, VCA; NGV International; Gertrude Contemporary Art Spaces; Frankston Art Centre; September 1-30; www.experimenta.org

RealTime issue #68 Aug-Sept 2005 pg. 34

© Keith Gallasch; for permission to reproduce apply to [email protected]

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