Mark Amerika in Athens
Author: Mosaiko EditorPosted on: Oct 30th 2009
Greek text 
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The National Museum of Contemporary Art presents from October 22nd, 2009 until January 3rd, 2010, for the first time in Greece, a retrospective exhibition of the American artist and pioneer in the media arts field, Mark Amerika. Mosaiko.gr was there on the opening of the artist’s exhibition and had the pleasure to meet with him and discuss his innovative art, his inspirations and the role of technology in art.
You have been characterized by TIME magazine as one of the top 100 innovators and you can be described as a network artist. Can you tell us a few things about this form of art?
Net artists use multimedia elements and network connectivity to both compose and distribute new forms of art that cover a lot of potential areas like digital narrative, software art, video blogs, and interactive Flash sites. What’s cool for young or emerging artists is that they can express themselves and try to locate an audience for their work without feeling they must play by the old rules of showing art in a “white cube.”
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Mostly from experimental novels and film. For example, I love the films of Chris Marker, Agnes Varda, and Jean-Luc Godard. And since I started my career as a published novelist, some of my best friends are the most interesting writers of our time. My interactions with them always trigger new ideas for me.
What is the role of today’s technology in forming tomorrow’s art?
Everything is still in development and you must be open to change. For example, my latest project Immobilité, now on exhibit at EMST, is a feature-length film shot entirely on mobile phone. This kind of complex work of art would have been totally impossible even five or six years ago. Of course, just because technology enables us to advance the forms of creative expression does not mean that it will also automatically lead to important works of art. You still must develop a core practice and aesthetic strategy over time.
Is this your first visit to Greece? What should the audience expect?
I was a tourist a few years ago but this is my first solo exhibition in Greece. I hope the audience will be open minded and see my work as an indication of the new directions contemporary art is moving in.
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