CHArt Twenty-Second Annual Conference

Steps of New Media Art at the Venice Biennale, 1960s to 1990s
Francesca Franco, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK

This paper investigates the way new media art was introduced to the Venice Biennale and in particular seeks to tackle questions that arise around the shift in attitude towards new media art.

The Venice Biennale, founded in 1895, is one of the oldest international festivals of contemporary art in the world. The influence of technology in art at the Venice Biennale can be traced through works presented from the late 50s – early 60s, when computers were in the early stages of their development. The four moments analyzed by this paper are the following:

1966, 33rd Venice Biennale, Argentinean artist Julio Le Parc won the Grand Prize for the painting category. This work did not fit exactly into any category and from that time the Biennale jury abolished all categories;
In 1970 Herbert Franke curated the exhibition ‘Art and Technology’ for the 35th Venice Biennale;
In 1986 Roy Ascott participated in the Venice Biennale with ‘Planetary Network’, a new media installation and world-wide telecommunications project in the context of LABORATORIO UBIQUA, the Technology and Informatics section of the 42nd Venice Biennale;
In 1990 Jenny Holzer, the first woman artist to represent America with a solo exhibition at the Venice Biennale, received the Leone D’Oro Grand Prize for best pavilion at the 44th Venice Biennale.

Through the analysis of four pivotal moments in the history of the Venice Biennale, this paper reflects upon the successes and crises of new media art in order to address some key questions: when did technology enable this shift? What kind of consequences did these changes introduce? How did the curatorial practice change and what is the legacy of new media work in terms of judging, viewing and curating artworks?

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