ABSTRACT

Over the past five decades there have been significant developments in the form and context of digital artworks, from the early Internet to the WWW and social media platforms; from the data abstractions of cyberspace to converging realities (hybrid, mixed, and augmented) and an Internet of Things. At the same time these different forms and expressions have been addressing some continuously reemerging themes, from identity and embodiment to socio-political constructs, among others. The presentation will explore the taxonomies and histories of digital art as they define and reflect aesthetics; the obstacles that the aesthetics of the digital have posed to the reception of the art; and the changes that the aesthetics of the digital have brought about in the traditional art world. By taking a critical look at over-hyped phenomena such as the much-discussed ‘New Aesthetics’ (and tracing its historical lineages), the talk will raise questions of how we can define digital aesthetics in all their complexities today and how their affects can be classified.

• Christiane Paul, Whitney Museum / The New School, United States