The decode exhibition running at the V&A until 11 April 2010 is a great opportunity to see some of the work coming through from artists working in digital media, but I can’t help feeling it only touches on an opportunity to really explore this medium.
There is some great work going on which we don’t have an opportunity to see. Beside the better known artists such as Jonathan Harris, whose works such as ‘We feel fine’ taps into the possibilities of the web and social media as art, there are others such as Andreas Muller and Aaron Koblin who still remain largely unknown.
The V&A has done an excellent job in introducing the general public to digital art and in association with OneDotZero tries to show this medium beyond the mere gimmick or trickery. Digital art can be both beautiful and thought-provoking. The latest BMW 5 series advert uses the Kinetic sculpture of ART+COM to create fluid images that seemingly float in air before settling on the outline of the BMW car itself, commercial undoubtedly, but also beautiful. As any historian will tell you art and commerce have always gone hand in hand.
It would be great to see the South Bank stage a major exhibition of digital art. The location and venues would provide a perfect setting for a ‘Great exhibition’ of the best in digital and interactive art from around the globe. We have events such as Flash on the Beach but this is really a trade show, good as it is. So next time any of you happen to be talking with Alan Bishop ask him why he doesn’t stage something truly memorable, and give us the digital summer we all dream of.
