ART and new technology : a scary new reality

 TERROR CONTAGION / FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE WITH LAURA POITRAS

From left to right: John Zeppetelli, MAC Director and curator of the exhibition/ Eyal Weizman, Director of Forensic Architecture/ Laura Poitras, filmmaker and journalist
Photo © Lena Ghio, 2021

FRANÇAIS app de traduction à gauche

What a delight it was this past Tuesday to visit the MAC and see the excellent team that puts on challenging high quality contemporary art shows in Montreal. It has been more than two years since I had been to the Museum, like most of you I am sure. In the temporary new location at Place Ville Marie John Zeppetelli, MAC Director and curator of the exhibition, introduced a mind boggling exhibition. Anchored in numerical pieces the exhibition reveals a scary and dangerous landscape where artificial intelligence, spyware, facial recognition software and technologies I don't have a name for yet, serve the interests of the governments, mega wealthy industries and powerful persons. 

Eyal Weizman, Director of Forensic Architecture, recounted clearly how NSO, a complex system of surveillance Israel uses to dominate Palestinians is evolving as a cyber menace. Many countries are now using these technologies to clam down on dissidents or just anyone they feel are a threat to their interests. People disappear never to be seen again sometimes in front of surveillance cameras like the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Laura Poitras, an Oscar winning documentary filmmaker (on Bill Maher) and journalist, has herself been victimized by surveillance technologies when the US government became suspicious of her after she made a film about the Irak war My Country, My Country. Her quest for the truth led to her involvement with whistleblowers like Edward Snowdon Reality Winner and Julian Assange founder of Wikileaks. She is a force of nature and brings vitality to the information that is revealed throughout the exhibition.

You may take advantage of the Walkthrough

With John Zeppetelli, Director and Chief Curator of the MAC and curator of the exhibition
Visit in French: Wednesday, December 15, 2021, 5 p.m.
Visit in English: Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 5 p.m.

When at the press conference I asked John Zeppetelli if he considered the exhibition transdisciplinary art. Although he considered what transdisciplinary art meant, he was not ready to confirm this point at this time. From my perspective I consider the wide scope of the exhibition and the many experts from many fields involved make it a transdisciplinary exhibition.

I also asked what they thought of the upcoming metaverse feature that will soon be distributed by META formerly known as Facebook. Digital artists are seriously exploiting what they will present in metaverse at this time.  Eyal Weizman said that, at this time, they employ metaverse technologies and virtual reality as tools for victims and witnesses to tell their stories and share evidentiary testimonies. 

TERROR CONTAGION / FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE WITH LAURA POITRAS at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal until April 18th, 2022.

ELEKTRA / 5th International Digital Art Biennal / until 01.02.2022

LifeFORM, 2020/ Herman Kolgen

HYPNOTIC is the word I would use to describe this extraordinary exhibition of digital art that has transcended many boundaries. It is happening now at Arsenal Contemporary Art and trust me you don't want to miss it!

LifeFORM by Herman Kolgen has stolen my heart and it is not because it is my only love. It is because it synthesizes for me the entire exhibition brilliantly curated by Alain Thibault. In this work, the artist wants us to experience the fragility of our existence, of our beings, even of our minds. I got a sense of moisture from the moving molecules, the geometrical shapes that connect the tissues of what is becoming a young man. Then the life bubble is plunged in a busy universe with many moving life bubbles moving to and fro.

The title of the show is METAMORPHOSIS and we experience this transformation that life is about all through the approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes tour. There are excellent tour guides on the site who will offer 30 minute tours. Follow the link to find out more about the guided tours.

We experience novel esthetics brought forth by both homegrown: Michel de Broin, Louis-Philippe Rondeau, Bill Vorn: and international artists: Ryoichi Kurokawa, Justine Emard, Refik Anadol; to name a few.

If you follow the above links you will see why I loved the entire show. The talent and innovativeness is inspiring and hopeful! You do not need a vaccine passport to visit the exhibition but you must follow safety protocols of hand washing, mask wearing and social distancing.

-LENA GHIO  

DOKU-HUMAN 2021/ Lu Yang