Behind the screens brings to mind nature and the meaning of visual art today. With the development and growth of digital art forms, many of the laws and customs of the art market appear to be outdated. After all, the original of a digital artwork consists of a succession of ones and zeros, but is rarely presented in that form. Moreover, traditional crafts are increasingly being combined with digital techniques. Such hybrid art forms – from plotter drawings, tapestries and websites to videos, software and murals – are all part of the Behind the screens exhibition curated by Els Drummen (1980) and Martijn Dijkstra.
About the curators
Els Drummen (1980) has been a curator of modern art at CODA in Apeldoorn for two years now. This organisation has its own museum, ExperienceLab, archive and public library that promotes craft and innovation. Drummen likes to combine traditional crafts with new media in exhibitions. In her former position as art advisor for the corporate collection of the NN Group, she regularly purchased digital art and also has a private collection. In addition, she is a board member of the Niemeijer Fund and the Noorderlicht Photography Festival. Co-curator Martijn Dijkstra (1977) has a background in economics and has been working as an art consultant since 2020, specialising in digital art. Before that, he was co-owner of Upstream Gallery in Amsterdam and Martijn Theaterdiensten for 12½ years. We asked both about the how and why of the Behind the screens – 50 years of computer art exhibition, which can be seen from 22 January to 4 June 2023 at the CODA Museum in Apeldoorn.
What inspired the idea for the Behind the screens exhibit?
Martijn: From the notion that computer art is still highly underexposed in the museum sector in the Netherlands, although there are many important digital artists in the Netherlands. Artists such as Jodi, Rafael Rozendaal, Constant Dullaart, Jan Robert Leegte and Harm van den Dorpel are among the world’s leading digital artists. The Netherlands also has fantastic collectors who collect digitally on a large scale. One of the largest private collectors of digital art lives in Apeldoorn. He was willing to lend a large part of his collection for this exhibition. Els and I then made a selection and added a few loans from other private individuals and museums.
Els:Yes, having this private collection in Apeldoorn was a stroke of good luck. We were able to select top pieces – and just around the corner from CODA. This exhibition also aligns very well with CODA. CODA has craftsmanship and innovation in its DNA and programming. For example, we have exhibitions about paper art, ceramics and jewellery that are not only on display in our museum, but also explored in the CODA ExperienceLab, library and programming offered both inside and outside of CODA, as well as online. We also increasingly notice that traditional crafts are intertwined with digital techniques. For years now, visitors have been able to discover these techniques, such as when a 3D printer or laser cutter is used for experiments with virtual reality, in our CODA ExperienceLab. Digital techniques are the craft of the 21st century. This is a development that we would like to show in various ways at CODA.
Can you tell us something about the origins of digital art?
Els: The origins lie in mathematics and computer science. In the late 1960s, plotter machines were used for technical drawings of, for example, buildings and weather maps. Later on, artists also gained access to this technology. It all started with the plotter machines, where you enter a series of ones and zeroes that automatically move a pen across the paper. At the time, many artists considered this a magical invention.
Martijn: Yes, they were often artists who were also mathematicians and allowed to try out the big computer during breaks at leading universities, meteorological institutes and NASA.
Why is there still so much confusion about digital art and what can you do change this?
Martijn: I think there is a lack of clarity because quite a lot of jargon is used in and about digital art. In addition, digital art is a very broad concept with an endless number of different forms of expression. I think this exhibition clears up a lot of ambiguity. They are also visually spectacular works that appeal to viewers, even without any prior knowledge.
Els: Also, I think people sometimes confuse the digital with 'inauthentic', as if it were about an online copy of something original. The opposite is true. We show authentic works that can only often be shown through various media, as is the case with work by Rafael Rozendaal. We present his interactive website, a tapestry and a mural. All digital art. I hope it's enlightening and exciting for people to see that digital art can also take on a physical form, that it’s not just art on a flat screen.
In addition to space for contemporary digital art, a large part of the exhibition is devoted to pioneers such as Nam June Paik, Peter Struycken and Sol LeWitt. Why are they still so important today?
Martijn:These are the founders or trailblazers of this art movement. It's good to show the connection between the past and present.
Els: Yes, these three pioneers are icons. Starting in the 1960s, Sol LeWitt made drawings for his graphic murals that could be performed by others, just like how a computer can now perform tasks for people. If you bought his mural, you only got a certificate with a graph with rules for its execution. Nam June Paik is considered the inventor of video art and recognised the influence of mass media as early as the 1970s, while Peter Struycken was using a computer as a medium in the 1970s and did great colour and form studies. In the exhibition, we show a digitally designed tapestry by Strucyken with colour pixels. Many contemporary digital artists still look to the concepts and researches of these pioneers.
What about the notions of authenticity and uniqueness when it comes to art that only exists digitally and can be repeated ad infinitum?
Martijn: ‘Smart contracts’ are used. Apart from that, the normal art rules apply.
Els: The buyer of a work knows in advance that the work can often be viewed online or modified. Websites remain accessible to everyone. That's where the strength lies. And some artists also enjoy the challenge of interaction, such as Rafael Rozendaal. When you click on his site, the artwork changes shape. As a visitor to one of his websites, you make a unique work every time you click. Be sure to check out his websites. You are guaranteed to be fascinated!
What do you hope to achieve with this exhibition?
Martijn: To bring a large audience up to date on the most important art movement of the past 50 years.
Els: Also, to surprise people with the diversity of artworks with a digital background. Visitors can wander around our completely black exhibition hall, for example. We also hope that visitors will be inspired by things like digital painting and creative coding. Obviously, there are different apps you can use at home, but at CODA, we’re organising a lot of activities over the next four months that you can register for through our website.
What are your thoughts on the future of digital art like NFTs?
Martijn: It’s already so deeply entrenched in the art market. The hype has worn off a bit, but like the internet, it will not go away. It also has advantages in terms of transport and storage.
Els: I also think it is here to stay. I find it especially exciting to see how museums will respond to this. For example, CODA does not yet have any NFTs in its collection. Nor do other Dutch museums, at least not yet. As a private person, it is easier to buy an NFT, but as an institution, it is still quite complicated. But that, too, will probably change. Who knows…. We do show NFTs in the exhibition, so seed has already been planted.
Where can I safely buy digital art?
Martijn: Artblocks and Feral File are well-established platforms with which major internet artists are also affiliated.
Carl Andre, Cory Arcangel, Aram Bartholl, Harold Cohen, Petra Cortright, Harm van den Dorpel, Constant Dullaart, Herbert W. Franke, Özgür Kar, Hiroshi Kawano, JODI, Jean-Pierre Hébert, David Hockney, Jan Robert Leegte, Sol LeWitt, Olia Lialina, Peter Luining, Jonas Lund, Manfred Mohr, Vera Molnár, Frieder Nake, Dennis Rudolph, Nam June Paik, Tabor Robak, Evan Roth, Rafaël Rozendaal, Peter Struycken, Roman Verostko, Damon Zucconi